


Rest in the Peace of Truth

by Cici3



Series: My Devil Academia (Ghost) [4]
Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Dark, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family Secrets, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Investigations, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Mystery, Psychological Drama, Self-Harm, Therapy, Trials
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:40:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 133,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25982239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cici3/pseuds/Cici3
Summary: Lucifer in anger has locked Kiome away in the attic, he tries to go back to his routine but he finds that his new secret is bringing him trouble. As if that isn't enough more trouble he thought he left behind comes back to haunt him.Tea's heart is broken after losing her brother a second time but chooses to leave him alone, now is the time to focus on the upcoming trial where even more issues arise.Kio is locked away depressed and ashamed at what he has done to everyone he cares about, Before he becomes completely undone he finally decides to seek help in an unusual way.The investigation finally goes to trial and the gang will finally see who was behind the horrible incident of last year. However nothing worth gaining is ever easy and they soon find more twists and turns than ever before.
Relationships: Lucifer & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character/Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Series: My Devil Academia (Ghost) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746109
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have gotten the hang of the formatting and will be changing it for the chapters of the previous parts slowly but very surely. I realize that it has been daunting to read the previous way and I apologize. i am truly grateful for every person who takes the time to read my story.

Part 4 Chapter 1

J

“Wait so let me get this straight, you thought you could magically convince him to come home just because you said it was okay for him to love who he wanted?” I gave them the rundown of how we had gotten to this point. I hadn’t been ready to really explain myself for several days until now, all I could think about what how much I had ruined everything for my little brother yet again. I think about how hurt he could be right now and the fact that I may never see him again…

The way they refused to talk about him, like they were afraid broke my heart, I know he was strong and he was scary when he was set off, but it wasn’t it fault…once again it as mine. Mammon, Belphie, Levi and Asmo helped me pack my things since I was going to be discharged that afternoon and I was ready to leave.

“Well yeah, I thought if he knew I accepted him, then he wouldn’t feel so bad. I wanted him to know he had someone on his side… but it went horribly wrong.”

“That’s a serious understatement.”

“You tried to out him in front of me, no wonder he got set off!”

“Yes I know, I made a stupid horrible mistake! I wish I could take it all back! And now he’s gone again!”

“Oh Rose, don’t cry again, this is a big mess, but we will get through it.”

“See I told ya, didn’t I Levi? I knew somthin’ was up wit those two for a while now.”

“So Kio’s bi?”

“As a Helsync song apparently, and I love it!”

“Yeah, that must be what he was trying to tell me when we were talking, he wanted to know if we would still be friends if he was different.”

“I mean it isn’t a big deal here, I don’t know what all the drama is about. It reminds me of this manga I was reading-”

“But if he was confused and curious and had no one to talk to about it, of course he would be scared and angry.”

“And in our world it is stigmatized, we are already different; having that label as well can be terrifying. He needed people that believed in him, it’s why I went to him.”

“Yeah but still him and Satan though? I never would have thought he would get that close to somebody, he’s always so…private.”

“Yeah but something happened between them the night he left…again. Ya see I was comin’ over to Kio’s room to let him listen to my new sets and Satan was poundin’ on his door yelling…and uh…he didn’t have a shirt, and you know he’s a total prude.”

“Oohh, did he dish the details?”

“I didn’t ask all that Asmo! But when we got the door open he was gone again, Satan went after him and I guess he never found him cuz he came back all broody and-”

“Shh quiet!!” Just then Satan came in with a small bouquet of roses in a vase to replace the old ones. His eyes were vacant and his shoulders were slumped as he walked by the others to replace the vase.

“Hello Satan, how are…” I couldn’t finish the question when I saw such pain in his eyes, any answer would be an outright lie, I would have to get him alone as soon as I could.

“Even though you are leaving today, I know these would liven the place up just a little. I hope you’re ready to get out of here Jetèa, I made you a special lunch to celebrate and Beel helped out.” He put a smile on his face and my heart twisted; I could only imagine what had happened between them that put him in this much pain.

“Thank you so much Satan, I still have to check on my transfers, I haven’t been to the dorms in almost a week and-”

“I went by there because I knew you would fuss; they really don’t need to be watched over this late in the year you know. But I did see that they have a get well soon card prepared for you. Everyone is ready for you to be out of here.” His voice…was strained, like he was putting on an act or something. I put my hand on his arm and looked him in the eye.

“Satan…are you alright?” He took a step back and cleared his throat.

“I’m fine, should I not be?” I looked past him to the others and they took the cue.

“Oh look at the time, I gotta date with a racetrack.”

“Looks like it’s time for my bath.”

“Oh I have that new anime to see”

“I’m going to head out too.” They filed out accordingly and I sat with my legs over the edge of the bed.

“You hate liars and yet you are lying to me.”

“Jetèa…don’t…”

“What happened?” he scoffed and backed further away instantly agitated.

“What difference does it make what happened? He left again, he never wanted to be back with us, so now he’s happy doing as he pleases.”

“But everyone told me that he was home most of the next day; that he asked to hang out with a few of them. He had to have wanted to be there before right?”

“I…guess…” He grumbled agitated, I took his arm again looking up into his eyes. I had to know what caused my little brother to be so troubled this time, and why my friend looked so…depressed.

“Satan, what did he do, what happened?”

“Nothing happened, absolutely nothing happened other than we had another fight. He didn’t want to be there and I wasn’t about to stop him.”

“But Satan…Kio loves you, he wouldn’t just leave like that.” Anger and hurt flashed across his face for an instant and was gone again as he scoffed.

“Pfft, that’s a lie, I don’t know what you thought it was but it was nothing but a game to him…He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

“Do you really believe that?” He was silent but his eyes said it all to me.

“You love him…don’t you?”

“That is hardly any of your business, it doesn’t matter anyway he probably went to stay with his girlfriend again.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, from what he told me, it’s why I never bothered to look for him after that first night. If he didn’t want to be with us that bad then he could stay with her. I’m tired of wasting my energy and thoughts on him.” He turned and I grabbed his arm and pulled him close to hug him.

“I may be horrible at talking to him, but I know my brother, he cares about you; there is definitely something wrong.”

“That isn’t my problem.”

“Really, even after what you told me about his soul?” He was quiet again and trembled, I remember how much he had said he desired it and cared for Kio because of the attributes it carried. Would he give up on him just like that, I had to know for sure and he had to know the truth.

“Would you stop it already, there is no point in beating a dead horse…”

“… _’Like a moth to a flame I did wander to your glow and the closer I ventured the more I wanted to know. Emerald embers and golden flames consume me, my body torched, my mind full of smoke, my wings singed and my heart lies entirely scorched. But still I fly closer until I am no more, your beauty and danger leaving me charred and sore. What are these intense feelings, all of admiration and lust, all I do know is that it will turn me to dust. This is dangerous to have such a decadent desire,_ _because I was taught better than to play with fire’_ …He wrote those words, and I know he was talking about you." He looked at me and I felt his heart quicken pace.

“Fire…why would you tell me this; what good does hearing these words do!!?” His voice broke and I was silent as he coughed backing away hiding his face; I tried to approach him again and he got angry at me.

“What are you trying to do besides make things more complicated?! Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time?! Why can’t you leave well enough alone, you can’t solve everything!!”

“I know I can’t…but I hate seeing you so hurt…” He softened and sighed heavily.

“Then stop looking at me!”

“Satan-” he stormed out the door and I sat back down, maybe I hadn’t learned. I wish I could just flip a switch and make things better for all of us; it isn’t fair that we have to face so much trouble. We may be demons, but do we not deserve to be happy too? I will do what it takes to figure this out, with or without their help.

L

“This is such a pity, and of course you opted to not go and look for him this time.”

“Given the circumstances, we found it best to…leave things as they were. There was no need to cause another incident.” Diavolo sighed as he looked to the incident report that concluded Kiomè as a frequent runaway. He would be removed from the exchange program and not be allowed for re-admittance due to being a harm to himself and others. He would be written off from RAD and from my family, good, now maybe we can get back to some shred of normalcy.

“I just don’t want to write him off like this, he is a good, bright and intelligent young man. There is obviously something troubling him that he needs help with; he asked for help that night, I finally got him to agree! I just don’t understand what happened.” I hadn’t known that detail…being the case it would be rather suspicious that he would be so willing to seek help and try to affirm a positive relationship with my brothers just to run off again. It was fortunate he was already running away when I found and detained him.

“That is very odd, why do you believe he would leave again if that were the case?”

“Something must have triggered him, after something traumatic as that, any little thing could have spooked him.”

“If he was that unstable, don’t you believe it is for the best? There is simply too much going on with the investigation and our regular duties to be bogged down with impending danger as well.”

“You would be right Lucifer, if it weren’t only days ago I wasn’t trying so desperately to keep you from killing him.”

“What are you trying to say?” He rose from his desk with a rebuking glare, things between us have been apprehensive over the past four days; there hasn’t been a single conversation without an air of tension. We actually had a fight, and though the injuries between us were not great, the harmony was severely damaged.

“You behaved like a madman, trying to kill him in cold blood! And you acted like I was going to stand by and allow it, like I wasn’t the one who has to tell their parents about this incident! If you cared anything about this program you would have thought first and foremost that KILLING AN EXCHANGE STUDENT was not something allowed of a host; especially that of the VICE PRESIDENT OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL!!”

“You preach to me about the student council; I have worked hard every day since my arrival to make you look your absolute best! I have suffered through one inconvenience after another be it this damned investigation or your whimsical ideas!! I am the one who breaks my back to uplift you; I am the one who works tirelessly to uphold your ideal, your honor and your dreams!! And when I have something that is mine, you expected me to accept it being taken from me! When my fiancé lies dying, you had the audacity to tell me to not act rashly!!”

“He was the only one that would be able to save her!”

“He was the one who had done it in the first place!” He grabbed my wrist forcefully, never taking his eyes from mine and I felt a surge in my own anger.

“You tell me here and now Lucifer, is Kiomè gone because of you?! Did you do something to one of my exchange students; because so help me if you slaughtered that boy and had the boldness to look me in the eye each day after…” He gripped me tighter and I could feel the joints dislocating, his aura spiked and I could see the very fury in his eyes.

“He is hardly a boy, he is old enough to know right from wrong, and he is old enough to understand that actions have consequences.”

“Dammit Lucifer!!”

“My Lord, please control yourself!” Barbatos entered with tea and small cakes for an afternoon snack. He was always so proper and poised but it added to his expertise, truth be told Barbatos was by Diavolo’s side even more than I was and for good reason.

“Barbatos, maybe you can tell me what has happened to him!” He released me and turned to his Butler with earnest.

“You know how I feel about altering the timeline my Lord.”

“I don’t want you to do that, I just have to know what happened and why he left and if he is okay! I need to know if he is still alive!” He glared at me as he said that and Barbatos poured the tea with an expressionless sigh.

“The only thing that I can disclose is that he left the house on his own accord and that he is very much alive.” Diavolo let out a sigh and scratched his head befuddled.

“Do you know where he is?”

“Of course I do.” Oh damn, I hadn’t thought of this.

“Then please, tell us where we can find him!”

“My Lord I told you that I cannot alter the timeline and I shall not.”

“Very well, thank you Barbatos.” It was silent between us for a while a but the matter was far from over.

“The way you react I would believe you thought him to be like your own family.”

“I make it my duty to see that each guest is treated as such, and as we’ve talked over time I see him as sort of a little brother. He needs someone to be a mentor to him, he needs someone who isn’t afraid to understand, even when he doesn’t himself. I feel he is dealing with a lot of emotions and struggling to find his own identity while being responsible for the power he carries. I had to deal with a similar situation, being an only child and heir to the throne I had to figure out who I was despite my title and my responsibilities. So I see myself in him and that is why I care so much.”

“I see.”

“I would figure since he is actually a part of your family that you would care more.”

“He nearly killed his sister and injured four of my brothers, the fact that I haven’t sought him out or harmed him means that I care plenty.” I turned to leave, thoroughly done with this conversation.

“The trial starts tomorrow, they will be having it in a remote location in the Human Realm and a few of us have a pass to view, you and Jetèa included.”

“I have to pick my fiancé up from the hospital, now if you will excuse me.” I didn’t look at him and he didn’t respond, not that I waited for him to do so anyway.

I made it to the Hospital to find my beloved sitting on the bed with her bag packed, she smiled at me so pitifully and I closed the distance to hold her close. She didn’t smell of flowers as she normally did, she smelled of antibacterial soaps and antiseptic. I didn’t like this on her at her, without her sweet smell it was like she was not her usual self.

“I’m happy to see you today, I got to talk to some of the others and they are doing well and I’m glad. Also Mammon wrote excellent notes for me so I will be able to do well on next week’s exam.”

“I am happy to hear that you had a good day, let’s get you back to the house, I heard there is a bit of a celebration in store for you.” Her smile faded and she stopped walking. Not now Tèa, please.

“But I won’t be happy because…all of us won’t be there.”

“What would you like me to do Beloved? He left on his own, and after the last time everyone is hesitant to seek him out.”

“You mean no one tried?” I looked into her olive eyes and I could kick myself, she loves him deeply, everyone seems to love him regardless of his sin.

“Satan had gone after him and I had done a bit of searching myself, but given the circumstances, I think it is best we leave him alone. He may want to come back someday soon, but for now we must wait and try to recuperate ourselves.” She looked down and sighed, I want more than anything for you to be happy my love, but you will only harm yourself by interacting with him. I cannot let more harm come to my family, by any means.

“I know, to be honest I am afraid to go after him myself, he is my brother and I shouldn’t be. As the eldest it is my responsibility to see that he is out of harm’s way; that his best interest is sought after. I have done none of those things and in turn I failed him.” I could see that she was fighting the urge to cry, holding her head high as she steadied her breathing.

“But even though it is my job to do these things…I can’t, not alone, and no one will help me. I have to hope that he will be okay until he can come home and when he does I will welcome him with open arms.” She didn’t meet my eyes but I was happy that after days of trying to convince her she finally came to her senses.

“I know this distresses you my dear, but Barbatos has said that he is alive, so we do have hope. He may very well come back home on his own, just give everyone time to cool down all will come together.” She nodded and turned to get the roses that sat on the nightstand by the bed.

“Let’s go home.” I had promised her that he would come home on his own, but I never thought of when that would be. In fact I hadn’t thought past my anger enough to realize that now that I held Kiomè prisoner it was very possible he would speak of what I had done. If I wanted to keep that hidden he couldn’t go free, but I couldn’t very well go back to their home without him now could I? What would I tell their parents? For right now I had to make sure that nothing comes undone.

K

Tic…tic…tic…tic…seconds went by like they had no value anymore, like they were no more significant than the dust that gathered on the floor and furniture. How long had I been here, how many seconds had gone by? I had lost count so long ago, it was completely silent except for the clock that hung on the far wall. The only way I knew whether it was day or night was by the small window in the bathroom where I was getting water to drink, it was the only time I would move from the corner on the floor. I kept the blanket around my shoulders like a feigned hug I knew I didn’t deserve, I didn’t use the bed or the chairs, someone as despicable as me doesn’t deserve such amenities.

“Geez Kio, you really messed up this time didn’t you? How did you manage to get yourself trapped up here?” Yori walked in from the bathroom and sat on the floor beside me, I was really in bad shape now.

“Yeah well, I fucked up, what else is new?”

“I’ll say in less than a twenty four hour period you managed to make all of your friends afraid to get near you, your sister and brother in law hate you and the one person, the ONE GUY that actually likes you for you flaws and all, ha, you push him away. I mean, bravo man, I don’t think anyone can ruin shit like that but you always had to be a show off!” he pulled out a toothpick and began to chew on it, his eyes scanning over me.

“Stop being such a condescending dick Yori, it was your fault! Those things you said to me and what you did…that shit was sick! So yeah, I was afraid I’m still afraid, I can’t go through all of that, and I know I will and then some if people find out about me!”

“What I said? You mean when I called you all those names and spit on you and stuff?”

“Don’t remind me, it’s still fresh in my mind.”

“You really are a little freak aren’t you?”

“You still didn’t have to run away Kio, I accepted you, hell I loved you and you talked to me like I was a piece of shit, now that, that was sick.” Satan sat on the other side of me, resting his arm on his knee and leaning his head back. His eyes were full of so much pain, I wanted to reach out to him.

“Look I did what I had to do, it was better this way.”

“Better? Do I look better, are you better for that matter? I mean you are slowly spiraling and I…I feel like shit man…”

“Sae, I didn’t want to hurt you man, I just…those nights. And the things Yori had said to me.”

“What, about you being an Okama? Or the times I called you a little bitch, a dick loving pussy and a twink? Or was it that I beat you while I did it?”

“Yes…you fucking asshole, you did all of those things!”

“Kio, my dude, you realize I have been dead for over three years right?” Oh damn…I was really cracking up.

“Like I said you’re spiraling, you are projecting us in your mind just to cope with the isolation.”

“I’m in your head bro, and just like those dreams you had, I’m just a projection of what you’re feeling.” I held my head in my hands shuddering at the realization that I may just be going insane.

“All of that…all those dreams….?”

“That was your fear, you did say that it was pretty messed up to have such mental abilities and it works against you. But that didn’t mean you could treat me or anyone else the way you did.”

“Look I know that Sae, that’s why I’m here, I hurt people and I killed a baby…I deserve to stay here.”

“Do you really believe you deserve to be locked away forever?”

“Yes! I’m nothing but a menace! I don’t deserve to live after what I’ve done!”

“Easy tiger, you’re getting a little too dark there, maybe you should reach out to someone.”

“You’re dead remember, just go away.” Yori faded away just like that, I looked over to Satan…or my projection of him. I knew he was in my head, but he was still so gorgeous and he looked so hurt it made my chest ache.

“You should call me Kio.”

“No, I can’t do that.”

“Let me know you’re alive.”

“NO, I might say something stupid and I can’t let you get close to me!”

“Is that so wrong?”

“I…I just can’t do it…”

“Then at least look at the messages I had left you, you have nothing else to do.” I pulled my DDD from under the mattress of the bed and turned it on. I knew if Lucifer had known I had my phone he would only take it. I looked to the messages and found the ones Satan had left me:

 **Satan:** Kio, where are you?!

 **Satan** : Stop being an idiot and come back home!!

 **Satan:** This isn’t funny, tell me where you are!!

 **Satan:** ANSWER YOUR DDD!!

 **Satan:** Okay fine, just please tell me you’re okay.

 **Satan:** You don’t have to tell me where you are, just tell me you’re safe.

 **Satan:** I know you aren’t reading these, but seriously I’m worried about you

 **Satan** : Look what happened, you didn’t have to leave, I was just confused! Did you mean to do that?

 **Satan:** I feel so stupid, please just talk to me.

 **Satan:** I can’t stop thinking about you…I miss you.

 **Satan:** I can’t lose you this way. We are better than this, I want you to come home! I want to make music with you again, I want to hear your poetry again, I want…I want you with me.

 **Satan:** Princess misses you too, she wants to know where her other daddy went.

 **Satan:** that sounded…I’m so sorry!

 **Satan:** I feel like I’m going insane, I wish I knew the right words to say, but honestly I don’t. I cannot get you off my mind, I miss how much of a smart ass you are. I miss the way you would laugh at me, I miss the way you would sparkle when I hugged you…did you know that was why I would do it so often? Every time I would get close to you, your soul would shimmer and I could tell you were happy. It made me so happy knowing being near me gave you joy…like I really mattered.

 **Satan:** Oh hell, ignore that, I feel so embarrassed!

 **Satan:** Unless that made you happy…you know, if I had known I think I would have kissed you back…I don’t know…I feel so crazy right now, but I think I really like you…like…I _really_ like you.

The door interrupted my reading and I slid my phone under the bed as Lucifer came in with food and a notebook. He looked at me with disdain as he sat it on the little table nearby and turned to me.

“I apologize for being so late, it was a hassle to get here unseen, but I have brought enough nonperishable food to last you at least a week and of course you have unlimited water so you won’t starve here.” I only stared at him as he set it all down, he had no intention of letting me out any time soon and if I had disagreed I would have fought to leave…but what would I even do once I left this room? No one wanted anything to do with me right now, and if they did it wouldn’t be safe to talk to them. It was better if I stayed here.

“Are you listening to me?”

“So you won’t be back for another week, at first you said you would be back every day and you didn’t come back for …I don’t even know how many days!”

“It has been about five days, and again, I am sorry for the delay I do have my duties.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just let me starve? I killed your child, do I really deserve to live after something like that?” I looked at him, really wanting the answer to that question. He only turned and grabbed the notebook to hand to me.

“Here, occupy your thoughts with this, maybe writing formal apologies, or even your poetry will take your mind from such violent tendencies.”

“I ask you about my worth and you hand me a notebook?”

“I am not the one you need to ask right now.” He looked around and turned back to me sharply.

“Do you have your DDD?”

“No.”

“Do not lie to me!”

“I dropped it when you came up behind me, and even if I did as you said, I poisoned the family, who would I have to talk to?” His eyes softened and he sighed.

“Just…write something…think about something else. And don’t try anything; I took all sharp and blunt objects out of here so you cannot harm yourself or anyone else.” He really thinks those were the only things i needed?

“Funny, you would hate me so much and yet go that far to protect me.”

“Do not misunderstand me, I keep you alive because you are an exchange student, once the year is over you are to go back home and stay the hell away from my family is that understood?”

“You’re marrying my sister…doesn’t that make us family?” He turned sharply at that and went to the door.

“You are nothing to me.” He slammed the door behind him and I suddenly felt desperate. I really didn’t like him but he was the only social interaction I had and he won’t be back for at least a week. In honesty I didn’t blame him for feeling this way, if it were someone else that hurt Tèa I would have done much more than lock them away. I spent so much time baiting and attacking him that I didn’t even get to ask about her. And now I was alone again and that was scary. I crawled over and pulled out my DDD and looked to the last of the messages

 **Satan:** You are such a bastard you know that, you make people worry about you and don’t give them the time of day at all! I cannot stand you!

 **Satan:** I can’t stop listening to your music, dammit why am I like this?!

 **Satan:** I just want to talk to you, I don’t hate you for what happened at all, in fact maybe I’m glad.

 **Satan:** Look I don’t care about anything else, just please tell me you’re alright, are you eating? I just want to hear your voice.

 **Satan:** So I heard you’ve been talking to Belphie, you’ve been talking to him and you won’t even read my messages. Did I hurt you that much? Was I that much of an ass to you? Here I can’t get you out of my head and I’m the furthest from your mind, why am I feeling so crazy over you and you can just stop thinking of me like that?! That isn’t fair, I want to hate you for it!!

 **Satan:** And yet I can’t I can’t hate you.

 **Satan:** Because I think I love you.

“’Because I think…I love you’… dammit Sae…” I looked at that message over and over again and I thought about that night. Dammit Sae…I knew I shouldn’t have looked at these. I stared at that message and my fingers type ‘I love you too’ and hovered over the send button.

“What the hell am I doing?!” I powered it off and put it back under the mattress, what good would that do? I should know to leave well enough alone.


	2. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial starts and already there is turmoil when the judge is non other than the King of the Celestial Realm and Lucifer's father. Lucifer is angered and pushed to the brink until he tell Diavolo what is really on his mind after all the years of serving him. 
> 
> Tea tries to make sense of it all but it is proving difficult with everyone seeming to walk on eggshells. Solomon seems to be up to no good, but a mysterious call cancels her pursuit and dumps her into an even bigger mystery.

Part 4 Chapter 2

J

I had been home from the hospital for about a week and it seemed that things were beginning to become as normal as it was before everything happened. The only thing was that one, my brother was still missing and two, we were attending the trial. It was being held on a small island in the Bermuda Triangle, it was remote enough place to make a court room for intrarealm relations and it was somewhere all species could venture. The first day was pretty intense and I learned a lot from it.

“This building is much bigger on the inside.”

“Yes well there is a spell in place that allows that, we can remain unnoticed by any humans that dare to fly over. The place is too small to see overhead, so this was practical.”

“I see, oh wow!” Down the large corridor was a gathering of angels; they were usually bright on their own with their white wings and bright clothes but gathered together it was like they illuminated the whole area.

“They’re beautiful.” Lucifer looked up to the small group and sighed lightly.

“Yes I suppose, you enjoy that aesthetic.”

“What did you look like as an angel? What were you like and did you shine just as brightly?” I didn’t mean to drill so many questions into him, he seemed a little agitated.

“Don’t trouble yourself with such inquires, they are moot.”

“Oh, of course, forgive me.” We walked together in silence; he wore an elegant blue three piece suit with gold trim while I wore a pant suit of opposite color. He wouldn’t admit it but I could tell he was anxious to be here, I suppose when you are forced to be around people who at one time fought against you things can get a little intimidating.

“I was the most beautiful angel in the Celestial Realm, I had six pairs of wings that were whiter than snow and I shone the brightest than anyone. I was granted the name Morning Star in those days.”

“Oh wow, that is very intriguing, I can imagine you were quite appealing.”

“However if I had not fallen, I would never have met you; and if we had met under different circumstances I would never have given you the time of day. I would never have lowered myself to consort with a demon…not then.” He looked off to the group ahead and I took his hand in mine.

“Well no matter, because I like the dark side of you better.” His eyes shone with admiration as we moved to pass the group only for them to take notice of us and come over.

“Is that Lucifer?”

“Why yes it is, hey Lucifer over here!” They came over excitedly much to my fiancés disapproval. A young girl with pink hair and aqua eyes looked at me curiously, her wings fluttering excitedly.

“Hello, my name is Ariel, what is your name?”

“My name is Jetèa, it is very nice to meet you.” I reached out to shake her hand and another Angel pulled her back a green haired woman with violet eyes full of hatred.

“What have I told you Ariel, do not lower yourselves to the likes of a human, especially those who consorts with demons, she could be a witch for all you know.”

“Sorry Linniel.”

“Excuse me?!”

“You will watch your tongue when speaking of my fiancé!” the other angels looked to me curious and Linniel giggled.

“Why Lucifer…I didn’t recognize you, why it was so dim in here that I thought night had fallen. So this is your little pet huh, she is pretty and what a shade of red hair, so I take it you had opted to bring your current fling to an event such as this. Listen dear let me tell you straight, the reason his family goes after humans is because they easily get bored. By the time your life is up he will have moved on to the next thing I’ve seen it dozens of times even before he fell. I guess you didn’t change after all.” Flings….?

“Do you really want to anger me now, Linniel, and cause such a scene?” He was really upset and he was on the verge of change. I put myself between the two with outstretched arms.

“Luci take it easy!”

“I simply thought you would have learned after your sis-”

“DON’T YOU SAY ANOTHER WORD!” I had changed to my demon form for all of them to see making them gasp in awe and a little fear staring that hateful woman in the eyes.

“Oh wow, those eyes!”

“She has no horns, no wings or tail, is she half human?”

“But I see those fangs and claws the markings in her skin, she is definitely demonic!”

“You have no right, do you not know it is tactless and uncouth to speak ill of the dead?! You should feel ashamed!”

“Me ashamed? I am not the one acting like such a threat at this moment, all a demon knows is violence and Halfling or not you are no different. Now I suggest you-”

“Now Linniel, you are simply being rude.” We heard the voice of an older gentleman and the angels instantly took a knee as a man appeared to us. He looked to be in his late fifties and was tall, his shoulder length hair was thick and light gray and his eyes…they weren’t exactly white but they seemed to shimmer in all colors. From the way the angels acted he must be very high ranking, but he didn’t bother to display his wings. He wore a deep gray silk suit and wore brown shoes that looked freshly polished. I was surprised when he stopped in front of me and I could feel my Fiancé stiffen from where he stood.

“Ah yes, Jetèa Minamino correct?”

“Y-yes sir, it is a pleasure to meet you.” I bowed respectfully and he lifted my chin to look at me and the angels gasped.

“Do none of you know who this is? She was the one who began the investigation to uncover the plot of Azrael in the first place. Was it not for her diligence there would have been a demonic massacre at the hands of one of our own, the peace would be ended and we would be at war in this moment. Although losing Azrael was a tragedy, you have this young lady to thank for our continued peace. Show some respect.” The angels bowed low and I was brought back to the gentleman in front of me who smiled.

“You were also the one who prayed at Michael’s feet, I had never seen a demon act in such a manner. It was another reason I wanted to continue this program even with the recent events, those born of that world are much more complex than meets the eye and I do believe that is grounds for tolerance and education yes?”

“Yes, I believe so as well.” He nodded and looked behind me as his smile faded.

“Lucifer, proud and arrogant as ever I see, I take it none of your brothers will be here for the viewing of the trial.”

“Not this day no, they have duties to attend to; Diavolo is inside however, he has business with you.”

“Yes quite, very well then I shall see you later Miss Minamino, it was a pleasure to meet you finally.” He bowed and walked by us, behind him were the archangels I had recognized as Gabriel, Uriel and Michael. The other angels disbursed and the hallway was quiet I could see Lucifer was trying hard to contain his temper and I put my arms around him.

“I should never have agreed to come here, damn it all!”

“Luci, take it easy, who was that?” His breathing was ragged and he tried to tear me away from him but I held firm.

“He is the judge for the trial.” He pushed me off and began to walk toward the men’s room shaking. He pressed his head on the door and took a deep breath.

“And also my father.” He pushed his way inside and I stood there flabbergasted as the reality set in.

“Oi, Tèa you alright? Ya off in lala land again! Devildom to Tèa!” I had forgotten for a moment that we were supposed to be studying with Belphie, Mammon, Levi and Beel.

“Yes! Sorry Mammon, I was just thinking about the trial…”

“Everybody’s thinkin’ ‘nout it but nobody is talkin’ ‘bout it, it started a week ago and Lucifer has been shut tight, it makes me not wanna go.”

“That’s because you aren’t supposed to give details on an ongoing trial Idiot.”

“But we was involved! We should know what went on!”

“Guys…it really wasn’t good the first day, a couple of the angels were mean but then this older gentleman stood up for me and that was nice I guess.”

“Good, those angels need to be put in their place once in a while!”

“But why do you look so upset about it?”

“Umm, how bad were things…between Lucifer and your father?” They were dead silent and looked down simultaneously.

“He was there?”

“He’s the Judge.”

“Oh shit.”

“I’m really not going now.”

“Makes sense, it was an angels corruption that is being investigated here.”

“Look, bad blood ain’t even the right word for it, but bottom line is Lucifer likes to be in control of any given situation and Pops wasn’t havin’ it. It had to be his way or the highway, and for a long time Lucifer obeyed that, we all did but he held a lot of anger and resentment because of it. His ideas and visions were shafted time and again and he was expected to fall in like they didn’t mean anything. I mean yeah Lucifer’s got the big head and all, but why give him such titles and honors and not do nuttin’ with em?”

“Lucifer was obedient and kind always, but deep down we began to see that he was full of so much rage. But even when I saw him sink deeper into it I never stopped looking out for him, he is our older brother and he has always looked out for us.”

“By the time Lilith was due to stand trial it was downhill from there, he hit a breaking point and to be honest we all did.”

“But Lucifer’s rage was so much that it drove him to murder four other archangels and start a whole war!” Beel shifted at his brother’s words and I looked away knowingly.

“And that was how we had gotten Satan.” The last bit made absolutely no sense and I was sure I didn’t hear correctly.

“Wait, wait, wait….WHAT??!!” They looked at me surprised and looked at each other.

“You didn’t know?”

“I didn’t know what? What does Lucifer’s anger have to do with Satan?”

“Well…Satan was…kinda born from Lucifer’s anger, it’s why he’s the avatar of wrath.” I thought back to the story he had told me and how his anger had driven him to act in such a manner. But I hadn’t thought for a second…

“His wrath was so massive that it created Satan, he just appeared one day and he was like this horrible angry savage and we had to basically teach him that destroying everything and everyone wasn’t the way to go. I mean it shouldn’t be that surprising, Kio can do the same thing.”

“Kio can turn his rage into a tangible substance he controls, not a whole separate person!”

“I dunno, if that stuff takes a shape and starts talking to ya, don’t say I didn’t warn ya it could happen.”

“What else don’t I know about my fiancé?? What about the flings he has!” they looked at each other again puzzled.

“Well…I mean, if we want to go by streaks, Lucifer has of course dated around in the past but his well had gone dry a long…long time ago if you know what I mean. I mean we’ve been around thousands of years, it’s not like any of us would just wait around like that….DAHH …I mean he would wait for ya Tèa, you are worth the wait and more!”

“Stop talking idiot.”

“He spent all of his energy on Diavolo and didn’t worry about love or anything like that. Whatever happened in the Celestial realm was a very different Lucifer than we know now, so don’t worry, what you see is what you get.”

“And she still chose him.” I guess it made sense, there would be no point in being angry over something that happened before I or even my grandmother was born.

“I guess you’re right. Do you think…maybe that is why he and Satan fight so much?”

“Satan wants to be his own guy and hates that he is so much like our big bro.”

“I think it was also why he was so drawn to Kio. I remember that first night when we played his tapes he told me when we went to bed: ‘That music is incredible! He is so full of rage and yet so intelligent that he could write such poetry alongside those angry sounds, he really is a genius’. Satan adored it because he was not only just as angry as he was but Kio had actually managed to carve an identity for himself while expressing it and Satan wanted in.”

“Hence why he changed so much and did whatever Kio asked.”

“In my opinion the soul thing was an added bonus.”

“But now Satan is in love with my brother and Kio has no idea what his identity even is anymore.” We thought about the current situation sadly.

“Guys…would you help me find out what happened to my brother?”

“I really don’t think going after him is the best idea.”

“What if he explodes again?”

“What would Lucifer say about it all?”

“Lucifer thinks I gave up looking for him, but he never said I couldn’t find out what happened and contact him somehow.”

“I dunno, I mean I got nothin’ against him but that was pretty scary.”

“The look in his eyes still haunts me.”

“But he was so sad when we turned him away Belphie, he wanted to make it better.”

“I have no problem with helping you figure it out and maybe even contacting him, but we are definitely not going after him understand? I may have the right spy gear for the job, I got it from this anime convention last year, it’s called-”

“Yeah that’s all good Levi, but who are we even spyin’ on?”

“Who else? I have a few things I need to know that only he can tell me.”

L

“I am still finding it hard to understand why you skirted around the issue Diavolo we looked completely incompetent in there!” Diavolo and I stood in the council hall to discuss the events of today’s events in the courtroom and I was embarrassed to say the least as once again Diavolo had yet to produce the needed information my father had requested.

“You are overreacting, he merely asked who was in charge of the exchange program and I answered the question honestly.”

“He also wanted to know where the demon king was in order to consort a plausible means of punishment for the crimes committed upon both of the realms and you did not answer honestly!”

“I simply said he was away, that was not a lie!”

“Then why wasn’t your father notified about the trial date?” 

“How am I to reach him if he is away?”

“You insist on telling me that there is no way to contact your father in case of an emergency?!”

“I am acting in his place, I have done so for several centuries, there was no need to have him involved in the matter when I have overseen it thus far.”

“So you mean to tell me that the matter of exchange students causing harm in our academy isn’t a matter to at least tell him what is going on?”

“You are being awfully argumentative today Lucifer, I had thought you could trust me.”

“Well anymore I find it hard to know who I can trust!” I sighed angrily, every time I walked into that building, each time I had to look upon _him_ …it made my blood boil.

“I know how you get when you see him Lucifer; I am not doing anything to put you in a precarious position on purpose. I am acting as king in place of my father, although he would prefer my father to put together a plan for this trial he has no choice but to cooperate with me. There has been no other issue than that.”

“Fine, I suppose it cannot be helped, I simply do not like you being the one to…cooperate.”

“He asks about you…I can frankly understand why it makes you so uncomfortable, it’s like he is seizing an opportunity.”

“An opportunity for what?!”

“Mostly to know more about you, I’ve told him nothing of course, but his charisma is amazing. If you hadn’t told me otherwise I would believe he was concerned for you.” I knew that was an outright lie, that ship had sailed many millennia ago. I was not about to be fooled again.

“Well do not be deceived, do whatever business is needed and keep it at that.”

“Of course, I would never mix business and personal matters.” I had a quip for that but being that we were currently trying to keep things professional and he had apologized for his accusations so I chose to bite my tongue.

“Of course not, I have to complete my tasks, is there anything else?” He turned to me with a bit of a sorrowful look and sighed.

“I was actually hoping you would have a drink with me; I know things between us have not been their best over the past couple of weeks, but I never forgot what I had said that same day, you are my best friend. I would hope that we could get past the troubles between us as friends do.”

“I have a lot to do.”

“Lucifer…we have been together for several Millennia, I feel that I can tell you everything and yet you are so secretive with me. I know your pride, I know you would never admit to me that something was wrong but things have not been the same between us for quite some time. Now I believe if we are to work together I will need your honesty and your willingness to put our current tiff aside and make this work.” He wanted to do this now? I sat in my seat at the table and crossed my arms as he sat across from me.

“This? What exactly is this Diavolo? When I came here, when I asked you to save my sisters life it was agreed that my allegiance would be to you and only you for all eternity. That was the deal, that was the transaction, and here you tell me that we are simply friends working together on common ground? You act as though we are equals, you behave as though this relationship isn’t what it truly is” He looked at me shocked and leaned forward, pounding his fist on the table.

“You cannot possibly believe that this…you are not a servant, I never saw you as such!”

“No? Then what was it then? You made it very clear that my authority is only to be used with your permission. In actuality I have no authority; I am merely another tool to your disposal to see that your every whim is placated and to hell with everyone who feels uncomfortable in the meantime.”

“Is that truly how you see me Lucifer?!! I have never treated you unfairly, and I never intended for you to feel like you were a slave or that you were inferior to me!”

“Then why was it that my unquestioned allegiance was the very term for the transaction? Why did you demand my abilities and loyalty? We have known each other before the war, you always said I was a sight to behold and that my capabilities were unfathomable. You wanted me with you from the beginning didn’t you?!”

“Since we are being honest…yes.”

“Exactly, so why else would you have made those terms if I were not to be your tool in your reign?! What other reason could you possibly have to keep me if it wasn’t because I was useful to you?!”

“You are a great help to me, and you are very capable yes but, it wasn’t why…”

“Come now Diavolo, we are being honest and outright, simply tell me why you wanted me to stay loyal to you for all eternity! What other reason would you have if it wasn’t for my servitude? Come now out with it!”

“It’s because I was lonely!!” His claws dug into the table as he spoke through gritted teeth. I was stunned, I always heard him tell me that we were best friends, it always appeared unfounded but I never thought this was the real reason.

“I…don’t understand.”

“I am the heir to the throne; I alone will be the next ruler of Devildom. I hold the power to make or break any being within my realm…and everyone here either fears me entirely or they kiss my ass!! I never had anyone who would see past my status and authority and actually be a companion to me! Hell Barbatos has been with me longer than you and he still refuses to use my name! You saw me as an equal, you told me when my jokes weren’t funny, you were not afraid to back talk me and I thought I saw someone I could call a confidante! So when the opportunity came I took it and I know at the time it was wrong but I thought that if I showed you that I saw you as an equal then you would come around! I thought I had finally found my real, good friend…” His eyes were so dark as he stood and as I felt the weight of his words I grew conscious of the sting of my own.

“But I suppose I thought wrong.”

“Diavolo wait-“

“Go and complete your tasks and then do as you wish…I was utterly wrong in my decision and I take full responsibility of that. I should never have forced you to stand by my side.” He stood by the door his back to me and his voice low, I tried to approach him but the look in his eye forbade it.

“Diavolo I didn’t kno-”

“I release you Lucifer.”

“W…what did you say?”

“I release you of your debt, I grant you your freedom back.” He left the council hall and it felt emptier than it was, it felt colder…or maybe in our blatant honesty Diavolo had given me a look at his own darkness. I looked into a frigid void that cried out for someone to care, and like an utter fool I was too engrossed in my own blasted ego to listen.

J

“I dunno if you should really to do this Tèa, I mean if he figures out what you are really after then he will blow his top!”

“Mammon don’t worry, I know Satan-“

“Yeah exactly, he ain’t the avatar of wrath cuz he’s always calm and patient. You should let me go with ya.”

“I will be fine, we are friends you know, I know he won’t hurt me.” I thought about the last time he had lost his temper with me and I felt a knot in my stomach. In truth even though I know we had both wanted to put it in the past I was still afraid of Satan’s anger. Everyone had told me that he was outright savage when he came to be, much like Kio is when he loses it completely. The more I learned about him, the more it became apparent just how much the two had in common and why Satan was drawn to him in the first place. I wanted so much for them to work their feelings out, Kio needed to know that he deserved to be happy and after hearing more about Satan I know he had to have some deep rooted issues that only my brother could understand.

“You got serious guts Tèa, I’ll be on the lookout for ya from here then.” I got up from the table and found Satan sitting with Belphie looking just as miserable as he had been for weeks.

“Hey guys, how are classes going?”

“Okay I guess, exams are coming up and I don’t know if I’m going to get that C I was hoping for. Demonic Algebra has been kicking my ass!”

“I know Demonic Biochemistry has not been good to me either, it used to be my favorite subject but missing all those classes put me so far behind. I hope I can keep my GPA intact after this.” We glanced over to Satan who played with his bat pot pie as he stared vacantly into it.

“Hey…Sa-“

“What did you call me, what the hell did you call me?! Don’t you EVER call me that do you hear me?!!” His eyes looked crazy and I could see a vein bulging on his forehead.

“’Hey, _Satan,_ are you alright?’ Is what I was trying to say…” He lowered his head into his hands and breathed deeply.

“Stop kidding yourself Satan, you got it bad and you know it.”

“Belphie do me a favor and shut the hell up.” Maybe I would need a gentler way to approach this, Satan was definitely not in the mood to be talking about Kio. I needed another plan.

“Well anyway, I went over the other exams last year and I think we are in for a doozy this time. Mr. Hirinata said that….Satan?” He was looking past me with an angry look in his eyes. I turned to see a demon, a girl with dark brown hair and golden eyes. She was really pretty and I didn’t remember seeing her here too often before.

“What the hell is she doing here?!”

“I take it she is a student, but I haven’t seen her before.”

“That’s because she’s always skipping, probably to be with her boyfriend.”

“Ah, she’s truant, then she would have to be admitted to the D.E.V.I.L. program then.” Satan stood and followed her as she walked out to the hall much to mine and Belphie’s surprise. We followed him to see him cornering her against the wall looking down at her with an infuriated expression.

“Satan what are you do-“

“Hold on Tèa.” Belphie held onto me so that we were just close enough to hear them but not get in the way.

“Look I could give a damn what you and him have or how in love you are but you better make sure you treat him right.”

“What…?”

“Look he already told me you two are together and I guess you’re pretty close. Just take care of him, he’s got a lot of issues but he really has a heart of gold. I only ask that you give him the respect he deserves and I swear if you are only after his soul I’ll cut off your eyelids, ears and lips, douse you in honey and bury you in an anthill up to your neck do you hear me?!!” She looked at him confused and raised her hands defensively.

“Okay I don’t know what all he told you, but Kio and I aren’t together.” Oh, this must be the girlfriend Satan had told me about, we were all stunned to hear this.

“What…?”

“Yeah, I mean we were together for a few days but it didn’t work out. He’s a really great guy and a total sweetheart but I felt like he was just using his time with me to cover up a bigger problem. He had these horrible night terrors he wouldn’t tell me about and afterwards his temper would be on a super short fuse. I care about him but no, we aren’t together, in fact I haven’t seen him in several weeks.” Satan backed off looking just as confused as she was.

“I see…”

“Is he alright, he isn’t hurt is he?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Oh, well I hope he’s okay, tell him I asked about him alright? And if I see him I’ll do the same for you.” She slipped by as Satan stood stunned and Belphie and I decided to close the distance.

“He lied to me…he wasn’t even with her when…he left.”

“Then that just stirs up further questions, we have to figure out where he is and try to contact him.” He nodded lightly and sighed.

“I hate liars…I fucking hate liars…I knew it all along.”

“Hey what’s that over there?” farther down the hall a guy with white hair messing with the lockers. He slipped some notes into some of them and looked over his shoulder as he crept away.

“That’s Solomon, Elizaveta’s cousin, what is he doing?”

“That locker is mine!” This was very odd, we went over there and Belphie opened the locker to pull out the note, on the paper was scrawled in red THE BROTHER’S ARE LIARS.

“Is this…blood?”

“Be careful, it might be a curse!”

“We definitely have to get to the bottom of that, what is he up to?” My DDD rang and it seemed to be an unknown number but something in my senses told me to answer. It very well could be that wizard.

“Hello?”

“Yes hello Miss Minamino, I am happy you answered.”

“Wait…you’re…the Judge…” I heard the voice laugh on the other end.

“My how informal.”

“I do not know your name Sir.”

“Well I have many, but for you I shall go by Reo.”

“Wise center…interesting.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No Sir, I have no problem with calling you Reo.”

“Wonderful, I am happy to hear that.”

“Excuse me Reo…but why have you called?”

“Well I have a few matters I would like to discuss with you, in person.”

“Oh! I …don’t know if-“

“Nonsense, come to the portal outside of your school, it shall take you where you need to be. I have much to discuss, but I plan to give you the upmost hospitality.”

“I appreciate that Reo, but I don’t think I can just leave classes.”

“I shall take care of that, but I expect you to be through the portal I am sending in five minutes is that clear?” The way he spoke gave me chills, his voice was warm and smooth and yet stern like a chiding parent making a request but in reality I had no choice. It was like I wanted to do as he said but I was afraid to at the same time.

“Yes Sir.”

“And miss Minamino?”

“Yes?”

“Do not tell Lucifer or his brothers, there is no need for unneeded attention yes?”

“Yes sir, I will be right there…”

“Good, I shall see you soon.” I hung up the phone as the two still looked over the note and I backed away slowly and ran the other way. I wasn’t sure where this was going but I was sure about to find out.


	3. the Coming Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea talks to Reo, Lucifer's father and she finds that there is more to him than meets the eye.

Part 4 Chapter 3

J

The portal lead me right to a place that I could only describe as something from a fairy tale. It was bright and colorful with flowers of all imaginable colors and a sky that was bluer than anything I had ever seen. There were buildings all around that were tall and looked like they were made from some sort of marble. I walked down the street trying to take it all in as the Celestial beings walked to and fro around me. Many of them gave me a wide birth looking at the uniform I wore and whispering to each other.

I wasn’t even sure where I was going but I knew I had to keep walking, the sound of Reo’s voice driving me to keep moving. What was it he wanted, why did he send a portal for me to come here and why was he so insistent about it?

“Oh! Jetèa, is that you?” I looked up and saw a blonde haired angel coming my way, as he got closer I recognized him and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.

“Luke! Oh my goodness, it is so good to see you!” I hugged him and laughed.

“What are you even doing here?”

“Reo asked me to come, he said there were things he needed to discuss.”

“Reo? You mean Father, why would he call you here?”

“I don’t know, that is what I’m here to find out.” We heard music in one of the buildings and I motioned curiously toward the door of the building.

“Oh that is the praise team having practice, they rehearse twice a week.” He opened the door and I saw an orchestra of angels as well as a group of girls singing as they did interpretive dance.

“I thought I lost, but actually I won, for by His love, we all have overcome. There is no failure, Father can never lose, and now His power, it all belongs to you…” They had such energy and passion as they performed, there were many angels that stood by to watch and sing along but one thing I saw was in front and center of the dancers as Linniel.

“They are singing about the war, about the victory achieved through our Father’s strength and strategy, about…” Defeating Lucifer and the brothers.

“I don’t think I should be here…” Lenniel caught a glimpse of me and I saw the smirk on her face as she sang louder about their victory. The other angels in the audience sang and danced and I noticed Ariel beside me and reached out to touch her.

“Oh hello! I’m glad you came, have you come to worship our father?”

“I…not exactly.” I listened to the song telling of how sin was wrong and the devils were evil. I listened to them sing about Lucifer’s defeat and their love for their father and I felt so…

“Ah, I see you came, welcome Jetèa.” Reo whispered in my ear behind me and as I turned I saw him standing there with his hands cuffed behind his back, a faint smile on his lips.

“Of course I did, I said I would.”

“You are a woman of your word, I like that.”

“They do all of this for you?”

“I do not tell them to, they all show their devotion in different ways, I only ask for their love and their loyalty.” Lenniel eyed me as she danced making sure I heard the words in the song clearly.

“You have to forgive her, she is one of my more passionate children although she can forget herself at times. Come, let us go elsewhere to speak, Luke I appreciate you seeing our guest was welcomed, you are a very good young lad.”

“T-Thank you Father!” he nodded and turned to leave with me behind him. He wore elegant blue robes with white trim, the opposite color pattern I had seen the angels wear, he walked with grace and dignity and as the two of us went by every angel took a knee as he passed. I wasn’t deaf to their whispers however and I wondered it made me think about Lucifer’s story of their rumors about Lilith.

“I believe this is a nice enough venue.” He stopped on a grassy knoll with a small picnic table that sat under a tree. Surrounding the small hill were gorgeous flowers I had never seen before, they took my breath away.

“I thought you would like this place. These are called Cherub’s Breath, their scent is very unique in that it can calm even the most wild emotion to still waters. I took it you would be very interested in such a specimen.” He began to walk up the small path to the picnic table and my mind began to race, I felt calmer but it didn’t mean I didn’t notice what was going on.

“You’ve done your research.”

“Yes, as I said I took interest in you last year during your last exchange stay, you are a fascinating creature. Tell me, you live in the Human realms’ Japan correct? That would mean your demonic bloodline originates from Yomi-no-kuni?”

“Yes sir, that is correct.”

“Then tell me, do you participate in Buddhism?”

“I believe in three of the four principles yes, but I do not participate in the eightfold path.”

“And why is that? If one believes that life is suffering, suffering has cause and suffering can end why not participate in the needed path to end said suffering?”

“Because I believe that Dukhka, Trishna and Nirvana are parts to a cycle not a path. I believe that just as we are born we live we die, we suffer we endure and we overcome. There is no final peace but we as beings need to endure some type of hardship, learn some type of lesson so that we may evolve. To live in constant peace is to live stagnant. Although not wanting to live stagnant is one thing, but wanting to have overcome at any given point is definitely another; lately every moment has felt like constant suffering and endurance.”

“Very interesting standpoint, and yes with the events I can understand. I can tell that you are a young lady who trusts the strength of her own knowledge and skills to get what you want.”

“I have worked hard to get to this point, but I still have much to learn to get to the standpoint I would like to reach. But I have learned that knowledge and wisdom is the greatest strength to have.”

“Ah, there it is, within your own pride lies the small touch of humility that sets you apart from my estranged son.”

“Excuse me?”

“I had wondered when I saw the two of you together what it was about the two of you that had drawn you to each other. But as I come to see, you may be the one who has the sense and stability that Lucifer needed.” So this is what he wanted, he wanted to get information on Lucifer? Why, what could he possibly want with him?

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, we simply have common ground.”

“That piece you wear about your neck says otherwise. You see I can see the sentiment within particular objects as well as the people they are associated with, like that hair piece keeps you connected to your own father. I can sense a lot of emotion connected to that necklace. If the two of you only have common ground then why does something such as that connect you two?”

“Because Lucifer is my fiancé, I love him deeply and I believe he feels the same.” He leaned back a bit and clasped his hands together with a smile.

“Ahh, there it is. I figured as much, I am sure he has told you a lot about me. However I am afraid I am not a megalomaniac or a hypocrite as he likes to declare.” His voice was low and deep, and it seemed to echo deep within me in such a charismatic way.

“I wouldn’t know, he doesn’t speak of you.” He leaned forward his opal eyes searching my very soul it seemed and considering he was the Celestial King, I wondered if he really could.

“I didn’t drive my sons away Jetèa, they chose their path; do you know why I chose to give you the name Reo to use?”

“I believe it is because you are the center of it all, you are connected to everyone here.”

“Yes, you are an intelligent young lady. Yes I am the center, take this tree for instance, I am the roots that nourish the tree, my children are the branches. They rely on me to give them water and nutrients, they in turn use their leaves to bring in the sunlight and oxygen to keep the tree alive. I need my children as they need me but although leaves may fall and branches can break away…”

“Without the roots the tree will surely die.” He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Exactly, above all else, the tree must remain whole; and there are times when pruning is needed for the sake of the tree. But even when the branches are cut and thrown to the ground I would never forget the fruit it once bore.”

“What exactly are you saying Reo?” He leaned closer, his smile white and his eyes warm, I felt at ease in his presence, like I was safe as long as I sat across from him.

“How is Lucifer doing, really? I cannot help but see that with the recent events he has gotten…a little unhinged.”

“You say that as though you speak often enough to know whether this is recent. And Lucifer is far from unhinged, he has worked harder than anyone to ensure the Academy and the program are ran and managed in the best manner possible. He works hard and I find it insulting that you speak of him as being ‘unhinged’.” He laughed at that and leaned back to stand, reaching out to touch the low hanging leaves on the large oak.

“Of course he works hard, he has worked hard since his creation, he values the fruits of his labor and never shies from a task. That is how he is, that is how he functions; however dear your fiancé is the type to needs to see his fruit borne in everything he does, in everything he accomplishes. And he can only do that if he has total control, his constant need to control in every situation instead of putting his trust in me and the law set is what set him up for failure. He found himself out of control and sought to take matters into his own hands, under that control his brothers followed and because of their naiveté they fell right along with him. I cannot have instigators and murderers in my realm Jetèa, they incited a whole war, for that they had to be punished but it never meant he was the farthest from my mind.” He…shouldn’t he have said ‘they’?

“I was…told that it all happened because of their sister…” He turned sharply and I felt myself flinch under his gaze.

“Yes…Lilith…losing her was an absolute tragedy, I miss her still, but it cannot be helped. The laws are put in place for a reason, if there is no law then there will be no lines, my children will run around corrupt and lead by their own devices. Such a thing is chaotic enough, but when their lawlessness affects the other realms it is unforgiveable. It is why Lilith had to be punished and why Azrael was found wanting.”

“But I thought Lilith was trying to save her love’s life.”

“And who was she to say who was worthy of living and dying? Who was she to decide the lifespan of a human? She acted as a deity for no other reason than that particular human appealed to her. Soon others would have come and they would want the same, she would succumb to their wiles and they would live unnecessarily long lives and put more strain on their environment, all for the sake of keeping a few humans happy. Laws are put in place for a reason and peace between the realms is of upmost importance.” He leaned over the table looking at me deeply a more serious look on his face.

“You have heard the story of Lilith yes? Tell me, what else do you know of her, I have not seen her in quite some time and her punishment was never exacted to my knowledge.” That was what it was! There has been a lot of tension between Lucifer and Diavolo and I remembered a time they had times when they would almost argue. There was one moment just a few days ago when the two had words within earshot of Reo during recess though I didn’t hear what they said, it had to get his gears turning.

“I was told that she was fatally injured in the war, the brothers don’t like to speak of it.” Yes, lie without lying, even so she was dead now anyway.

“Ah…then it was done, I am saddened to have lost a daughter but the laws must be upheld. I know Lucifer hates me for that but even so, the balance must be kept.”

“You speak as though you still…”

“Love him? He is my son after all and in his peak he was the highest ranking Seraphim I had. He was my pride and joy…I cannot forgive his sin, but I will always love him and I will always be a part of him.” He plucked a flower and placed it in my hair, taking great care to tuck a strand behind my ear with a warm smile.

“You seem to be a bright and responsible young lady, you seem to have a heart full of love and understanding. That is something my children do not understand about demons, just because they have sinned, does not mean they are without worth. Isn’t that what you said at Michael’s feet? ‘If half my blood has any worth, then I will use it to pray you save his life. He may have done wrong, but he gave his life to save others, does one wrong in the past cancel out the good one does since?’ That is what you said yes?”

“Yes Sir…I believe I said something like that, I want to believe that we are worth something in this existence, just because we were born demons or carry demon blood doesn’t mean that we do not have compassion and understanding. We want to be loved and respected as anyone else; I had yet to see that until I came to Devildom. It was why I decided to stay.”

“The love and devotion you have…it is heartwarming…my children would say that it is because of the human in you that you have these capabilities, but I would like to believe in something more. You will help me understand yes?”

“Yes sir, I hope to.”

“Very well, then I hope to see the both of you in court tomorrow?” Court…the trial…of course! Solomon was up to something, I had to find out what…

“Reo…if there was something else going on in the case, some more details I were to come across I would bring them to you to look over?”

“The procedure would be for you to take it to your king and we would discuss the evidence and the need for it together. Speaking of which, where is the demon king?”

“I don’t know…I have never met him, Diavolo has acted as king in his place for as long as I’ve been there.”

“I see. Well then, I do believe I have taken enough of your time with my questions, I shall see you out.” He bowed and extended his arm to lead me down the path.

“Reo, may I ask you something?”

“Yes Child.”

“You spoke of Buddhism and the four principles, I would have thought you wanted everyone to believe in you only.”

“I may be the king of this region, but this is only one of seven same as yours. My focus is on my children and nourishing them, but if you wish to believe, it is better to believe in something than nothing at all.” Something felt odd about that but I saw the portal come up at the end of the path and I took that as my cue to leave. I waved my farewells and walked through to the darkened land that was Devildom. I had no idea how much time had passed and I went straight to the house of Lamentation to check on everyone there. I walked past my brother’s room without looking at it and went straight to Lucifer’s, I know he had a meeting with Diavolo earlier and I had hoped they were finally able to patch things up. I knocked and entered but he wasn’t there, I checked his study and the library and he wasn’t there either and I thought that maybe he was with Diavolo and thought I would go there. I found Diavolo standing outside his house looking depressed as he looked on to some other demons working.

“Diavolo…are you alright?” He looked as though he hadn’t heard me but slowly turned to look at me his eyes empty.

“Oh, Jetèa, how are you doing today? I hope you have been able to study with all of this insanity.”

“Of course, I have been putting in as much time as I can manage.”

“No word from your brother yet?”

“No Sir, nothing.” He sighed deeply at that.

“I am so sorry about that, I saw him as my own little brother you know. I saw so much of myself in him, he just needed a real friend…”

“He had that…but I feel like he is more broken than a simple friend could fix. He needs help, but don’t be sorry for that, at this point he has to be the one to reach out. We will simply wait for him to do so.”

“Where did you get to be so wise?”

“Experience, that is where it comes from unfortunately.”

“Yes…very true.”

“Diavolo, enough about me, what is troubling you?”

“Have you spoken to Lucifer?”

“I…came here to find him, I thought he was with you.”

“No dear, he is not, but then he hasn’t been with me for a while now so I am not surprised.”

“What are you saying?”

“It is nothing for you to worry about.” I looked to his mansion and I saw in giant red letters the word LIARS painted on it in blood. This was what the workers were trying to clean off!”

“Sir…I think Solomon is behind this, I think he is attacking you and the brothers over the trial.”

“I can gather that much, his beloved cousin is on trial, but attacking us will not change the outcome, that is for the evidence to decide.”

“But that is another thing, if Solomon’s ring connects Elizaveta to the demons infected, but we do not have the proof that she had it here and then what about the other thirteen that were infected at the same time? I feel like there is more to it than that what is being let on.”

“We interviewed those students; they do not claim to remember having made a pact with her so we had chalked it up to Azrael’s pure energy.”

“But that is the thing, if only seventy one of the students were infected with Solomon’s ring somehow and the other thirteen with Azrael, then wouldn’t they be infected in different ways?”

“You have a point there, but we have no proof otherwise; we will have to see what the angels had found on the matter.” Something was very off about this, it wasn’t that I thought Eliza was innocent per se, but Solomon’s sudden outbursts are sending serious red flags and I want to understand it before this sends my brothers and I into more trouble.

“Jetèa…that flower…it’s from the Celestial Realm.”

“Yes…I spoke to Reo, he had questions for me-“

“What did you tell him?!!”

“Nothing, you never have to worry about that.” He sighed heavily, if Reo found out what Diavolo had done there would be serious consequences between the realms.

“But he asked a lot about Lucifer, said that he was becoming ‘unhinged’, I have no idea what he is even talking about.”

“Hmm, if you want my advice I would tell you to make sure he never sees it and never knows you went to talk to him.”

“He would get that upset?”

“If you thought your spat last year over your application was bad…just heed my warning. Lucifer doesn’t need to know this, get rid of the flower.” I pulled it from my hair and threw it to the ground immediately.

“There is something else going on with the angels as well and I believe that the king is up to something. I can feel it in the way he smiles at me…what type of flower was that anyway?”

“Cherub’s breath he called it-“ He grabbed me by my shoulders and spun me to face him.

“And you didn’t tell him about Lilith?!!”

“I said that she was fatally injured and that no one likes to speak of it! Why what is wrong?!!” He stepped away, cursing under his breath.

“I knew it, those damn flowers, I knew he was up to something and he left that in your hair as a warning. I bet he put it there himself didn’t he?!”

“Well yes, but I don’t understand what’s wrong, they just make you calm.”

“Yes, and they also force you to tell the truth.” I felt sick to my stomach at the realization that he had just used me as a pawn. It was no wonder I had this feeling that I could confide in him.

“Come inside, we will talk about it further.” I followed Diavolo and I couldn’t help but feel like we were not out of the woods when it came to this trial by a long run.

L

I packed a small box of food and waited for my brothers to be busy in their own activities to creep up the stairs to the attic. I unlocked the door and took a look inside before coming in, not knowing if he was preparing to attack me or not. He sat in the same spot against the far wall as when I left him and when I looked to the table, the food from the week prior had been untouched.

“The point of me coming here was to provide you food to eat, what is the point if you do not eat it?”

“I’m storing up for the winter.” It would be moments like these my brother would scold him and I thought about him in that moment. I had not only neglected to see Diavolo’s true intentions but I had failed to attend to any of my brothers’ needs as well, I hadn’t even seen my fiancé since our walk to school, I was truly not grasping everything as I had thought I was.

“Heh…you know Sae would sock me and call me a smartass right about now, I honestly didn’t think I would miss getting hit.”

“This food is meant to be eaten; I cannot allow you to starve yourself to death.”

“Why not, it would make your life easier would it not? You and everyone else hates me, I killed your child, so if I was gone then it would be easy as pie for everyone else…then I wouldn’t be such a burden.” He wrapped his arms around his knees and seemed to sulk like a child but then something in his eyes seemed much more serious.

“I…don’t hate you Kiomè…I was simply angry with your actions.”

“And would you look at that, we agree on something.” I sat the new food on the table and glanced over to him, from the looks of it he had been writing in the notebook I had given him.

“Do you need another pen, or a pencil maybe?”

“No, but it looks like you need someone to confide in.”

“Of all people, why would I choose you to do such a thing with you?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s from my past two weeks of isolation, but I can feel a lot of regret and uncertainty coming from you. And, well…I don’t know, you are my only source of social interaction, so why not?” He patted the spot next to him on the floor.

“You’re being serious.”

“Who am I going to tell?” I sighed and sat on the bed instead, looking him over, his hair was disheveled and he had obviously lost weight again. I couldn’t allow him to fail in health as it would only compound the problems we are already facing.

“The truth is that I have done a terrible wrong…”

“You mean other than kidnaping me and locking me in this attic, putting me in complete isolation for two weeks?”

“Yes it is greater…I lied about Tèa being pregnant.”

“You…lied to me…?What the actual fuck man?!!” He turned visibly angry and I remembered the night he had lost control, I was hesitant to keep the conversation going, however if I didn’t deescalate him he could tear this whole house apart at the seams.

“There was a time we thought she might have been and when you attacked her I feared the worst. But it wasn’t until _after_ all of that when it was confirmed she wasn’t but I should never have said that to you and…I’m sorry.” It was silent for several moments and I watched as he stared out as though deep in thought and then let out a low laugh.

“Holy hell man…what is that, the third sincere apology I have ever received from you? I should write a memoir: ‘the many sorries of Lucifer’ by Kiomè Maku Minamino ha!” Yes change the subject and maybe move past it.

“Heh…I had forgotten you were named after your grandfather.”

“Yeah and Tèa had gotten her middle name from both of our grandmothers Shiori and Korrin and Lai had gotten a variation of mother’s middle name ‘Ezele’. I never even met my grandfather…I was told he was this really great guy, comes from the bloodline of voodoo high priests and I’m just supposed to carry his name like…I’m capable of that.”

“I think what we have seen is that you are very capable of a lot of things. Your mother had told me that you carry all of her strengths along with her rage and the ability it accompanies. If your mother can get a handle on it then I believe you can as well. You have the strength within you Kiomè-“

“Be real with me Lucifer, you are only saying these things so that I’ll eat and not die of starvation or something.”

“I don’t want you to harm yourself no, but I was telling you the truth when I said I had lied.”

“That was seriously fucked up…but I don’t blame you. I would have done worse if someone was hurting my sister. To be honest I didn’t intend to talk about me, I’ve been stuck in my own head for weeks now, I want to hear something else.” I sighed and looked over the attic, nothing had been moved or even looked used, was he just sitting on this floor alone with his thoughts? Diavolo had said that was a very dangerous thing for someone in his condition, but then Diavolo was always much better at these things than I was.

“Diavolo and I…had a disagreement, I said some things I shouldn’t have and now I feel our relationship will never be the same.”

“Wow…so does Tèa know about the affair or was she the other woman?”

“If you are not going to be serious-“

“Okay sorry! I had to, look just tell him the truth, the truth hurts sometimes but if you care about your friendship then you will do what it takes…to make it work…” He trailed away and I thought about what he had said, maybe it was time that I decide what I want instead of assuming such from him.

“Yes you are right, those are wise words, I believe I will heed them.” I needed to speak with Diavolo, privately and directly if this was going to be successful. I rose from my place and went to the door.

“Wait, you can’t be leaving already!” I turned around to see such a sad childlike expression on his face.

“I will try to be back tomorrow, I promise, but you must promise me that you will eat!”

“Okay…I guess…but you better come back…” The more I looked at this young man the more I wondered if what I had done was truly the right thing.

“I shall.” I left wondering if I was too late to fix this…if I was too late to fix a lot of things.

K

He left again, just when I was having a meaningful conversation with someone other than projections from my own mind…I was alone for who knows how long again. My chest began to ache and I couldn’t catch my breath, I couldn’t be alone again, not this soon! I reached for my DDD and turned it on, the first thing I saw was my screensaver of Sae and I together…like I want us to be. But hell, even with my DDD in my hands I couldn’t just call anyone…what the hell was I thinking?!

I put it on the bed and began to pace, my head hurt and I felt dizzy but I needed to move, I needed to do something to stay sane.

“I think I have outright lost my mind by now, but if there is some force out there that is in my favor I just need someone that isn’t in my head to talk to me, please!” My DDD rang in that moment which was creepy and for a second I questioned my sanity until I read the name on the screen…it was Satan.

I stared at it for a couple of seconds, after the way I left things I would be out of my mind to speak to him! I shouldn’t answer, I shouldn’t answer, I shouldn’t answer!

“H…hello…?” DAMMIT!!

“…Hey! I…I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to answer.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to call…”

“Your DDD had been off all this time and I was lucky I got through.”

“Yeah, I uh, was trying to conserve the battery.”

“I see.” I was not prepared to speak of anything personal with him; I should hang up right now, but dammit if his voice didn’t make my heart flutter!

“Look Kio, I’m not going to ask where you are, I’m not going to tell you to come back or any of that because if you had wanted to you would have done so, so let’s just get that out of the way now.”

“Okay, well I can’t talk long, I mean Celeste is in the other room and-“

“First of all shut the hell up with trying to make me jealous and second Celeste isn’t with you, you two haven’t been together in weeks.”

“You’ve always been jealous; you never liked Celeste from the beginning.”

“She is a demon with a name that means ‘heavenly’ I don’t trust shit about that!”

“Come on Blondie, can’t you appreciate a good oxymoron?”

“What have I told you about calling me that?!”

“That if I pull your hair at the same time you get goose bumps.”

“Shut the hell up you smartass!!” We laughed and damn it felt good.

“It’s like you never left…like nothing ever changed…”

“…So I take it you talked to her.”

“Yeah, it was enlightening, but like I said…I’m not going into the same song and dance with you. I understand you don’t want to be here so it’s whatever.”

“Then why did you call?” It was silent on the other end and I wondered if he had hung up, part of me wished he would and yet…

“I…just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Oh, well I guess that’s why I answered.” There were so many things I want to say to you right now, so many sorries and so many I love yous that I just can’t bring to my throat!

“Hmm I take it from the silent background you are in the library, what are you reading?”

“You know me so well, you tell me.”

“Ah okay let’s see…I know you finished Purgatory’s Premise, and the sequel is not due to be out for a few more weeks, and usually when you finish a drama you like to dive into a mystery, so I would say you are reading another one of the Demonic Desire series, A Deadly Affair and a Dagger Lost.”

“Hmm, no I’m actually reading another of Darkangels Archangel’s Novels: Soulless Void.”

“What? That is not the Satan M.O. You always hit up a mystery after a drama then a romance and then informational to flush the emotional system out!”

“Yeah well, we were supposed to read it together…” As if I didn’t have another reason to care about him he shoots me in the heart again. This is dangerous, hang up now.

“I don’t care if you read it, it’s fine Sae.”

“No…it wouldn’t be the same, so I’ll just wait.”

“How is princess?”

“She caught her first mouse and she is quite proud of herself.”

“Aw damn and I missed it! She is getting to be quite the young lady.”

“Well she is royalty ha!”

“I know right, what about everyone else?”

“Same, annoying and stupid as always, except so much is missing… it just isn’t the same without…without you.”

“Sae…”

“I know, I know sorry…dammit…I never appreciated that nickname until today. I miss you Kio.” Fuck I was beginning to cry I need to hang up!

“I miss you too man.”

“Are…are we still friends?” Why does he always make me feel so weak?!

“Yeah totally, if that is what you still want.”

“Yeah, sure, of course I do. Have you been taking care of yourself; are you eating okay?”

“Yeah…sure.”

“Kiomè, what the hell-“

“I know, you hate liars…I’m sorry, for…all of the lies.” My heart pounded and he was silent for a long moment.

“Do you know why I hate liars so much?”

“I…I don’t know. I figure no one likes to be lied to.”

“When I first…came to be, my brothers always told me that I was special and that I could do anything I set my mind to as long as I got my anger in check. They also told me that they were never afraid of me and yet I saw the fear in their eyes every day and it made me even more pissed. They never meant it when they said I was special, there is nothing special about me, nothing that sets me apart hell it’s why I jumped onto your hobby without looking back because I felt I could belong there, you made me feel welcome in your world.”

“But I love the bookworm too, I love the way we can just chill and read a good novel together without needing to do anything else but just be together. You never needed to change Sae, you are perfect the way you are and you always have been.”

“See…I can hear it in your voice, you really believe that. That’s why I love you.” I heard a shuffle and the sound of him berating himself in the background. I suppose he was trying desperately not to bring up the question of us and the status just like I was and he was also having a hard time.

“I’m so sorry-“

“It’s okay, really!”

“Listen I don’t want to hold you long, so I will let you go. But can I call you later this week, maybe Friday?” I looked at the date on the DDD, that was three days from now.

“Sure, I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Okay, I will call you that evening then.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Bye Kio.”

“Later Sae.” I hung up and I stood in the silence for several minutes, we had an entire conversation and so much more was unsaid than said. He must have felt the same way I had, lonely and needing someone to talk to but too afraid to bring up the pain that brought it on in the first place. I love him, but I couldn’t bring myself to accept the fact that I want him. I feel ashamed but more so I feel like just like the soulless void he was trying to immerse himself into, while he read angst and darkness to try to avoid his own I was neck deep in mine, and the only thing I had from keeping me from sinking farther was a frail promise and a future phone call.


	4. The Serpent isn't always the Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial is underway and there are already details that look pretty damning for the demon side. Lucifer is put in a position to talk to his father alone and he quickly discovers that something is being planned under his nose.

Part 4 chapter 4

L

Diavolo sat on both sides of Jetea at the prosecution table, although the Angels handled most of the investigation we were victimized as well and thus Diavolo acted as co-prosecutor for the trial. However because of our argument yesterday we had not spoken to each other since, and when I left the attic to find him he had his door locked. Even this morning as we came together he wouldn’t look at me, his eyes avoiding mine as we walked and conversed with the angels over the proceedings.

“Now Balam, can you tell us how you have come to know the defendant.”

“She was a mutual friend, I know her through Beel, we are all in the baking club together.”

“And do you recall a time she asked to make a pact with you?”

“Actually no, I do not recall, I do remember when Beel had an allergic reaction to some cake he had tried and she saved him. I saw as he formed a pact with her out of thanks and I thought she was a very nice person.”

“But you have never made one with her yourself?”

“No, I do not.”

“Tell me about the symptoms you suffered a few days prior to that incident.”

“Well I was itching a lot on my arm and I couldn’t stop scratching, I thought I was having a bad reaction to some hellebore extract. But it really began to hurt after a while. I went to the doctor and he said there was nothing he could find, I know that because I couldn’t find anything either! It was like my normal arm but it felt like my skin was boiling!”

“I see, did you have any contact with the angel Azrael just before the symptoms occurred?”

“I had never met her sir, she didn’t appear to be very approachable so I kept my distance.”

“You have had no contact with either of these individuals and yet you suffered the same symptoms as those who had? Would you not wonder what you had in common with these others.”

“Objection, leading!” the witches Lawyer was always quick with his objections, I found it irritating.

“Rephrase Gabriel.”

“My apologies, when this began to become widespread, did you try to find a correlation?”

“I did…I do have a pact with Solomon, and when I talked to Uvall, Vepar and Beleth they said that they suffered the same symptoms and they also had pacts with the sorcerer Solomon.”

“And how did you feel upon finding this information out?”

“I was confused, Solomon wasn’t here that year and I wasn’t sure why we were suffering like this.”

“Were you aware that Miss Morozov was Solomon’s cousin?”

“Objection, relevance!”

“I’ll allow it.”


	5. Do What you have to Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The true motive behind the deal is uncovered and Lucifer takes action the only way he knows he can. Tea is beside herself and desperate to find a way to clear her Fiances name. Meanwhile there is secret communication going on in the house of lamentation.

Part 4 Chapter 5

J

I sat next to Diavolo as everyone settled in the courtroom after lunch; Eliza sat in the defendants table as we and the angels sat in the prosecuting section. Gabriel was questioning Eligos, he looked nervous to be there but as he always did, Gabriel showed patience and kindness in his questioning.

“Now Eligos, I want you to tell me to the best of your knowledge what you remember about the pact you formed with Elizaveta Morozov last year.” He was a petite young demon with mousy brown hair, he didn’t seem like anyone who would stand out and he even looked very timid as he leaned toward the microphone.

“I…I only spoke to her once, she had asked me if I could form a pact with her because she thought I was a really nice demon. I don’t like to make pacts with everyone but I heard that she had a pact with Levi and he’s really awesome! He’s like a level one hundred necromancer on Mononoke Land, he is the gaming master and if someone as cool as him would make a pact with her then she must be cool too!”

“So you admit that after you heard she had a Pact with Leviathan you made the decision to do the same?”

“Yes, that’s right, and a few days later I found that I was breaking out in a rash on my lower back, it itched a lot but I didn’t think anything of it until weeks later when it burned and began to bleed. I went to Dr. Namtar but he said he couldn’t find anything there but when I would dab it with a cloth I always found blood.”

“Did you speak out to anyone about this?”

“I did speak to Levi, he said that it was strange I was going through this and that I needed to see the doctor. I told him that I had and he said to talk to him whenever I needed him to update. He seemed very concerned.”

“So Leviathan knew about the symptoms forming early on and did nothing?”

“Well, he said to see the doctor, but we didn’t know what to do after that.” I looked over to Lucifer who had sat in his seat just after the testimony began; he seemed to be very lost in thought and looked past the others as they spoke. I wondered what they spoke about, he didn’t seem angry like when he left but I didn’t like the way he looked now.

“I have no further questions, it is your witness.” Diavolo stood and cleared his throat as he walked over to Eligos.

“Did you do anything else after you saw the doctor, have you spoken to anyone in the weeks that followed or even followed up with Leviathan?”

“Well no, I didn’t. I just took pain killers and hoped it would go away.”

“So you realize that if you did not formally report the incident there was nothing we could do to stop it?”

“But I did speak to Levi, I thought he would speak to someone.” Diavolo sighed at that and raised his hand.

“I have no further questions your honor.” Another man that sat with Eliza raised his hand indicating he had no questions and Gabriel stood again to speak to Reo.

“Mmhm, that is fine, you may have a seat Eligos.” The demon rose and returned to his seat as Gabriel turned to the room.

“The court would like to call Leviathan to the stand.” Lucifer turned pale and Diavolo gasped as Levi walked up and swore his oath before sitting, I felt that something was very wrong here.

“Leviathan was it true that you spoke to Eligos about his condition weeks before the investigation began?”

“Yes, we were talking as we played online and he mentioned it, I asked if he saw a doctor and he said he did, I thought it was really weird but I didn’t know what else to do. I thought he had an encounter with a bad plant or something.” Fair enough, no one would have thought anything if it was an isolated case.

“And it is also true that you had a pact with Elizaveta?”

“Well…not exactly…” there was murmuring in the crowd and Reo leaned toward Levi with a steady stare.

“Please elaborate Leviathan.” I watched as Levi trembled at hearing his father’s voice and stammered.

“Well we had a real pact, but it wasn’t until much later. The one I was in at the time was notone that most demons get into. You see she is also a Mononoke Land player, she is a level ninety nine wizard. I had made a pact with her…in game.” There were collective gasps and I like them was stunned, that would explain why Levi didn’t have the same symptoms.

“So you didn’t have a real pact with Miss Morozov until much later is that correct.”

“No, not until the day before…I attacked another student.”

“Tell us about that.”

“I felt really strange that day, and I felt a burning in my chest and then I blacked out, the next thing I knew I was in the hospital and I was told I had hurt my friend.” Gabriel nodded and the man that sat with Eliza stood and approached as they switched places.

“Was it true that you have blacked out at other times Leviathan?” This man wore black robes and seemed to be very serious, but of course he was, this was a serious issue.

“No…I mean yes I have I suppose!”

“Which is it? Have you blacked out at other times or not?”

“Yes, yes I have.”

“I don’t like where this is going…” Diavolo whispered as they spoke and I tried to think of what the witches were up to.

“Is one of these times the day you took the key to the student records room?”

“I…yes, that is right. I must have blacked out during that time period as well.”

“Well it seems you aren’t very sure, and I would believe it to be true since in your first testimony of the incident you recalled everything clearly and yet today you say you recall nothing.”

“Well…I was confused is all-“

“You were not confused when you made the testimony! Your honor, may be play back the recording made in the Demon Lords office?” Now it was Diavolo’s turn to lose color.

“Objection your Honor! There is no relevance to this recording as the confessions have been made and evidence received pertaining to said incident!”

“Nevertheless, I will allow it.” Reo kept a calm face as he looked over to Lucifer who seemed confused about it, this was not going to go well at all.

_“I need you to think back, about three months ago, do you remember Lucifer asking you to retrieve a set of keys?”_

_“Yes I do! it was the week of exams….Wednesday he text me and told me to get the keys for him. I went and got them from Asmo and delivered them to him.”_

_“And how long before he gave them back to you?”_

_“He said he would give them back to Asmo, I only took them to Lucifer and went to my class, I remember because it was about twelve thirty went I sat down.”_

_“And that was the last you saw those keys?”_

_“Yes sir, just ask Lucifer he had them the last I saw.”_

_“Thank you Levi, that is all I need; enjoy the rest of your day.”_

_“O-okay! See ya ‘Tèa….”_ Lucifer looked over to us surprised and upset and I felt a lead ball in my stomach…we had dismissed that conversation altogether…but they found a correlation it seemed.

“Do you remember that conversation Leviathan?”

“Y-yes… I do.”

“You don’t seem to be confused there, in fact you seem very sure.”

“I…no, that isn’t what happened!”

“Is it not? It doesn’t sound like such to me. I have no further questions your honor.” Diavolo stood and approached Levi.

“Levi you didn’t remember everything that happened in that moment did you, if you had given the keys to Lucifer then he would have spoken to you correct?!”

“Y…yes…”

“Did he speak to you, other than to say he would return the keys, what words did he say exactly?!”

“He said he would return the keys to Asmo, that I needed to be in class…”

“And what else Leviathan?” Reo’s voice made the avatar of envy shudder and he stammered out the words.

“He said ‘as a student council officer I am to set the example for the student body and be in class’ which I thought was odd because he wasn’t in class himself and then he said…’discedite a me’ as he waved me off.” The crowd murmured and Diavolo took a step back.

“This is absurd!!”

“Why would he speak to him in Latin?”

“I WILL HAVE ORDER IN MY COURT!” It was silent again and Gabriel stood stoically.

“Your honor, we have the video footage of the day in question.” They played the video and we watched the silent film outside the records room of Lucifer standing and waiting as Levi came up to him and handed him the key. Words were exchanged and Lucifer waved off his younger brother as he said before entering the records room and coming out with a large stack of them.

“Pause that, could you zoom in on that uncovered name there?” The camera zoomed to the file with the name: Balam. The courtroom erupted and I felt dizzy, my fiancé stared on confused and angry as Reo banged the gavel.

“Your honor this is ludicrous, the human Riley had confessed to taking the key and making a spare, he confessed to using the student information and was found with the key on his very person!”

“And yet here is your second in command going in and taking said files on the day this was said to occur. Why? How could both be true?”

“Lucifer was with me in my office during that time period discussing a program to better our attendance record! He was with me until late that afternoon!”

“Do you have footage of said occurrence?”

“I didn’t bring it no.”

“Then that seems very convenient now doesn’t it? Until you provide said evidence Lucifer is to be arrested and detained as a suspect.” The guards rose to take Lucifer and the room erupted into chaos, my body seemed to move on its own as I wrapped my arms around my fiancé and refused to let him go. They stopped for only a second as he brushed my hair aside and whispered in my ear.

“Do what you must, I know you, you have a plan. Don’t worry about me Beloved.” They forced me away from him as the screaming and shouting continued and the gavel banged loudly.

L

So this was what the witches council had up their sleeves, I was more surprised that once again I was in the dark about the situation and left to clean the mess. Only this time I wasn’t sure how I was to do that. None of this made sense, it seemed like I was framed for this entire incident when I was a victim! That very thought came to mind as I dug my heels in and turned to my father in fury.

“Your Honor! This is a ludicrous and outlandish accusation! I knew the security cameras were there, I had them placed! I do not need to have Leviathan bring me the keys I have my own set! I knew nothing of this conversation and I had nothing to do with this incident! If I had, why would I sit so shamelessly in this room?! Why would I suffer such injuries as I had the year prior if this was my doing?!” He listened and stood with a calm and ensuring smile. He stepped from his bench and stood before me with steady eye contact as he crossed his arms.

“I can see that you are right in that, why in fact would you have nearly died if this was your own scheme? Why in fact would you place security cameras in a place you planned to commit a fraudulent act? Yes I can see your point there. You have taken measures to ensure that this academy is ran to it’s best ability and yet you are the one facing consequences, why your lord didn’t even tell you that you were a suspect at the time and never questioned you. I suspect…off record of course, that there has been gross negligence and mismanagement when it comes to this academy as well as this incident yes?” The room grew silent and all eyes fell on us.

“What are you saying?”

“I am saying that you are a possible victim here, a victim of poor circumstances. If you are innocent I have the power to uncover the truth, but you know what I require.” He knew!! He knew this was what was going to happen, he knew he could force my hand in this moment, it was why he didn’t require an answer then!

“It appears the situation has gotten out of control.”

“And I know how you love your control yes?” His smile said it all, if I denounce Diavolo right here and now then he would ‘save me’. But I knew him, if he was this cunning to come up with such a scheme, it wasn’t to lavish me with my own kingdom and his good graces. He wanted me under his thumb again.

“Like father like son...yes?” He smiled at that and I changed my form and broke the guards hold as I went right for Diavolo. He looked frightened and upset at the situation but I looked him in the eye ready to say the words I had wanted to say before this debacle came to be.

“You once told me, that you have a vision, you once told me that in a perfect world we could all stand to learn from one another and grow. You said that we could have eternal peace and embrace each other no matter their race. Do you remember what I said after that?”

“You said that there was no way that you can get so many minds to agree, there was no way there could be peace or a perfect world but it sounded like a great idea.” I took his hand and got on my knees to honor him as the crowd whispered.

“I still believe that it is impossible to get so many minds to agree, but they do not have to agree to make something as amazing as what you believe happen! The world can never be perfect but it never had to be perfect for it to be what you truly wanted, what we truly wanted! If not for your dream I would never have met the love of my life and my brothers would not have grown as they have. No matter how we came to be together I would never regret working to make your vision a reality! I ask you to forgive my foolish behavior from before and carry on like it never occurred, because I would travel to the depths of hell and back repeatedly as long as it was by your side!” I kissed his cygnet ring and I heard him choke on a sob as he shook his head.

“And I you, old friend.”

“Bailiff, detain him!” I was glad as the guards took hold of me again and I went with them peacefully looking my father in the eye as I smiled widely.

“Talents wasted as always.”

“No, my talents are flourishing here, I would rather serve under him than rule under you!” He scowled and turned away defeated in his little plan.

“Perhaps I was wrong about you, you deserve your fate just as your brothers do.” I turned back sharply and grabbed him by his robes causing the archangels to rise to action. It was complete chaos as I held my father to my face my demon form in full splendor so that he could truly see the creation he made!!

“My brothers deserve to be respected and treated with the same loyalty they have bestowed, something you have never given them! You speak about them like they are too vile or too beneath you to even consider redemption but the fact of the matter is that you are so spiteful that the instant any of us do not fit within your standard or fall in line to your orders, or _heaven forbid_ have a different opinion you throw them away like they were garbage!! I Murdered three of our comrades and you would welcome me back, make me king of the Terrestrial realm but you turn your nose to my brothers whose only sin was to follow me?!!” The archangels gasped and looked to us but I kept my eyes to his my rage was far from spent.

“I will do whatever it takes to keep my family from harm and that also means keeping them from you!! They are better off in hell than anywhere near your manipulative influence; that is one thing I will never regret about any of this!!” the guards had their hands on me again but I held firm as he tried to pull my grasp from him, fury and indignation written all over his face.

“And what you said of Satan is unforgivable!! He may have come from my anger but he is smart, he is resourceful, he is loyal and he is more of a man than you could ever be and has more heart and soul than you could ever have!! You call him an abomination because he doesn’t belong to you, because _he is mine!!_ He is MY BROTHER and if you speak ill of him or any of them in my presence again you will feel the full force of my anger!! We are better off without you so FUCK YOU AND YOUR DEAL!!”

“GET HIM OUT, GET HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT AT ONCE!!!” they forced me from him and carted me off to the dungeon below and I had never felt so satisfied.

J

“Everyone get in here, this is an emergency hurry!!” I ran into the living room as the brothers filed in one at a time, Levi sat on the couch looking devastated and it was the first thing they noticed upon entering.

“What is going on?”

“Why’s Levi in a monkey suit?”

“Where is Lucifer?” Satan came in last and I took a breath as they all sat down, this place looked so empty right now…

“Something happened in court today and Lucifer was arrested.”

“Wait WHAT?!”

“I thought you two were just there to witness?!”

“What happened?”

“It’s all my fault I said the wrong thing and they had the recording from last year! And what’s worse they have camera footage of Lucifer taking the key and going into the records room to steal files!”

“That’s crazy, Lucifer would never do that!”

“And why would he borrow the key anyway, he has his own!”

“Exactly the points that were brought up and that would have been considered if…” I felt dizzy again at the memory and I sat next to Beel who rubbed my back.

“If what?”

“Lucifer…cursed out father…apparently there was something said between them before the recess was over and there was some deal he was trying to make.”

“Lucifer tryin’ to make a deal with Pops?”

“No, the other way around said he wanted to make him King of the Terrestrial Realm under his advisement. But from what Lucifer had said the terms were to leave us behind and denounce Diavolo.”

“But instead he honored Diavolo and reiterated his oath to him and then he went off on Reo.”

“Oh shit…”

“Look I have the video and I uploaded it to my Devilgram, it’s already viral.” Levi leaned over to show his brothers the video to my dismay.

“You are not supposed to take footage of a court proceeding, we will get in serious trouble!!!”

“Whoa, Lucifer said all that?”

“That’s ballsy!!”

“Way to go Big Bro!”

“Look at these comments, they are shouting for his release! Demons from all over are praising him for speaking out!”

“Even a few of the angels are taking notice.” Satan was silent until he leaned over and listened to what his brother had said.

“That guy…that’s…”

“The Celestial King.”

“And he had the nerve to call me an abomination?!! He doesn’t even know me!!”

“But ya see how he stood up for ya, Lucifer can be an ass but he is nothin’ like Pops. And ‘bove all else, he’s got our backs.” I looked to Satan and I could see his eyes water just a little.

“He said that about me…Lucifer really said that.” I hugged him and he cleared his throat.

“You know, Kio would be proud, he would love to have a taste of anarchical chaos.”

“Belphie shh!!” I looked around to the guys and I sighed, we should all be gathered together, and right now we are all torn apart.

“Mammon, did you get the list?”

“Yeah, I got em, we gonna question these guys?”

“Yeah, we have to clear Lucifer’s name, we have thirteen names here; Satan Beel, Levi and I will take the first seven. The rest of you can take the other six. We have to get to the bottom of what started this thing and why Lucifer is being framed.”

“But what do we say to them?”

“Ask anything you have to, but get the full story! Use your DDDs to record it and get all the information we can, there has to be something we are missing.” We took the names and split them up and began to discuss what we were going to going to say. I noticed Satan had disappeared and as I looked around could I see off in the corner he was deep in his DDD.

“Who are you talking to?”

“No one, I’m just checking my Devilgram.”

“Listen, I know these past few weeks have been hard on all of us, but I also know that they have been very hard on you.”

“I’m fine Jetèa, you don’t have to-“

“Look I miss him too, he’s my little brother and I failed him! All I wanted was to make things right with him, but all I’ve done was ruin it. I want him to be happy and I know in my heart that he would be happy with you.”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, there is nothing going on between Kio and I and there never will be.”

“Do you believe that?” His eyes darted and I could see he was getting irritated, I had to learn not to put my foot in my mouth.

“If we could just contact him we could make headway, when I try his phone it’s always off. Maybe it’s dead, but I hope somehow we can hear from him again, I think after this trial is over I want to go back to looking for him, would you like to do that with me?” He looked at his DDD and then looked at me before sitting it face down, I had a feeling he was hiding something but I could only handle so many mysteries at a time.

“Sure, we can do that, now what about these witnesses?” He changed the subject just like that, was it possible that he wasn’t ready to talk about him yet? Or maybe he was right and he didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, maybe I am alone in wanting to find my brother, but no matter how much time passed I had to get him home, but for now we had to get through this trial and we had to get Lucifer free.

K

He didn’t come, of course he didn’t come, figures I would get my hopes up waiting for the demon that locked me in here in the first place. And to think I had actually eaten a full meal today, now it felt like lead in my stomach knowing that I would be alone for who knows how long. I hated being alone with my thoughts, I hated remembering why I was here in the first place, I was horrible…I made them fear and hate me. I finally made friends and turned them all into enemies…well all except for Sae. Why did he choose to talk to me after what I had said, why did it feel so amazing to listen to his voice? One thing was for certain, we both refused to talk about what had happened between us, it was like we wanted to just be like we were before, before it had gotten complicated because of my emotions. Maybe that was for the best, just forget it happened, at least then we could be around each other.

I listened to the ticking of the clock and I could feel my mind going in circles again. I can’t take this anymore, I had to talk to somebody! I turned on my DDD and thought about everyone in my contacts and realized that no one was a particularly good candidate, but then I looked to Diavolo’s number and I thought about what he said, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea…he wants to help these thoughts in my head.

“Hello??”

“Hey…Lord D. How are you doing?”

“Kiomè…it really is you! Ha, oh my word, this day isn’t all bad after all!”

“What do you mean, what’s going on?” He sighed heavily and I got a really bad feeling.

“Lucifer has been arrested, there has been some evidence pinned against him making him a suspect in the incident from last year. He has been detained and I am currently looking for footage that can clear his name.” Well that explains a lot.

“Holy hell…that’s awful, I can imagine my sister is beside herself.”

“Yes, she is upset but she has her own plan she is working on to free him as well, we are doing what we can. But listen to me ramble off when you’ve reached out to me, how are you doing, where are you? Can I come meet you somewhere?” I took a good look around the attic as he asked that question.

“Yeah…I don’t think that is going to happen, but I don’t mind talking, letting you know I’m fine, or as fine as I can be.”

“Are you safe, do you have food available and are you feeling ill in any way?”

“Yes, yes and no sir, I am all good here.”

“Have you harmed yourself recently?” I was silent for a moment, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to answer that truthfully, but then what could he do?

“I…have been thinking of doing so, but I haven’t done it.”

“I am glad that you have refrained from hurting yourself, but I do worry about you. I know after that incident in the woods you may be feeling very confused and upset, I don’t believe that you should be alone with those kinds of feelings.”

“I think you’re right…I was wondering…”

“Would you like me to give you Barbatos’ number?” I paused and I really thought about it.

“Yes please, I would appreciate it.”

“Wonderful! That’s wonderful give me just a moment!” He rustled in the background and I heard my DDD beep in my ear, Satan had sent me a link to a Devilgram story.

“Okay here it is, are you ready?”

“Yeah go for it.” I wrote the number down in the notebook and wrote his name so I could program it into my DDD later.

“I am so happy you have chosen to talk to him.”

“Yeah, I suppose it is time, listen Lord Diavolo…”

“Yes Kiomè, what is it?”

“I’m sorry I worried you, I just didn’t want to be a bother anymore.”

“You have never been a bother, you are one of us, I care about you like my own little brother in a way. I just want to see you flourish.” How can he say that? How can he want me to be okay when I have caused so much trouble?

“Alright, I will call Barbatos tomorrow, can you do me a favor and keep this conversation between us, I don’t want anyone to know I’ve contacted you.”

“Of course, you just be sure to take care of yourself and call me if you need anything.”

“Sure thing, talk later Lord D.”

“Goodbye Kiomè.” I hung up and clicked the link to watch the video, apparently Lucifer did a lot more than just get arrested and I was impressed. I was just getting a look at the comments when a text came in:

 **Satan:** Did you see it?

 **Kio:** Hell yeah I did, I didn’t think your big bro had it in him! Who was that guy anyway?

 **Satan:** That is the Celestial King and my brother’s father. Obviously there was bad blood between them but something serious went down at the courthouse today and he got arrested.

 **Kio:** Wow…that is insane, he had nothing to do with last year right?

 **Satan:** Exactly, I think they are up to something, we are forming a plan to clear his name right now.

 **Kio:** Hey Sae…what that guy said about you, I don’t know what all it was, but Lucifer is right man, you have more heart and soul than anyone I’ve ever met.

 **Satan:** I have a soul…did you really mean that, when you said you saw it?

 **Kio:** Yeah, it’s like a green fire, there are so many shades that flicker and dance it’s pretty cool. I think if it were a gem I would call it a green cat’s eye.”

 **Satan:** Wow, I like that, to think it’s like fire…I feel really good. Hell I feel good knowing I had one.

 **Kio:** You said everyone does.

 **Satan:** But I never believed it for me, because of how…I got here…

 **Kio:** Come on Sae, we both know you have one, hell I saw it myself and I like it a lot. Don’t worry about who you are and why you’re here, just be happy that you _are_ here, I know I am.

 **Satan:** Are you really?

 **Kio:** Yeah, I’m glad I met you. I know I can be an ass but, you are the best thing to happen to me, you made me believe in myself, you made me want to write again. You inspired me to move forward and I will always be grateful to you for that. You are a wonderful person Sae, I would never take any of it back.

He didn’t answer and I began to wonder if I went too far, we were supposed to pretend that stuff didn’t happen and I went too damn far!

 **Kio:** Sae? Did I get too mushy?

 **Kio:** I’m sorry you can forget what I said before, I can be so stupid!

 **Satan:** Please don’t take it back, I’m sorry I was a little tied up. I’m really happy to hear that, to know I can inspire someone, it really makes me feel good. I feel like I really have a purpose when you say things like that.

 **Kio:** Don’t you dare talk like that, you don’t need me to have a purpose! Look only one of us can have an identity crisis at a time okay?!

 **Satan:** Okay, how about I take today and you can have next week?

 **Kio:** I don’t know, I have to check my calendar; I think I’m due for my monthly existential crisis. That shit is always top priority.

 **Satan:** Fucking smartass LOL XD

 **Satan:** Listen Kio, I have to go, your sister is sending us out to question some students and I’ll be tied up. Are we still on for Friday?

 **Kio:** Yeah man, I’m looking forward to it. Go save your big bro!

 **Satan:** Good, I’ll talk to you then, later Kio.

 **Kio:** Later Sae,

My DDD was getting low on battery and I began to panic, I couldn’t stand him up on Friday! I looked around and in the outlet by the bed was a charger; I thought it was odd because it meant that someone had stayed here before. Either way, I plugged up my DDD and turned it off, I will call Barbatos tomorrow and maybe I will be one step closer to understanding why I’m so screwed up.


	6. Stare Your Truth in the Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer is locked away to think about his past mistakes while the gang has their own obstacles in clearing his name

Part 4 chapter 6

L

I sat in my dark cell thinking of the things that had been said today, from the many accusations to the Celestial King’s repulsive plan. I sat here because the witches’ council found reason to believe I was behind it all, and my father knew it all along. He spun such a pretty story of love and redemption to try and sway me but he forgot what it was that damned me in the first place.

“Well, well…nice to see you on the other side of the bars for once. I had to admit that display with the judge was pretty badass, I would commend you if I didn’t despise you.” The witch clutched the bars in the next cell over I could hear the smile in her voice.

“I suppose the feeling is mutual, since you casted some spell to make it seem as I was stealing the files, I could say you are making your vengeance tangible.”

“Wow, you are so deluded that you don’t see the truth for what it is. You really think I did that? You were on camera it was as the witnesses said; you can’t honestly think the ‘I’m innocent’ ploy will hold; it sure didn’t with me.”

“I am not going to play your game human; you have hurt my family and the academy enough.”

“Wow…you really don’t get it.” The heavy metal doors opened and none other than my father walked into the aisle, he held his head high and his smile proud as he knelt before me. I refused to look at him lest my anger rise again but he refused to leave and between the witch sneering at me on my left and my father gawking at me straight ahead I was finding it hard to hold my temper. 

“What is it you want… _Reo_?!” He smiled coolly as he stood and crossed his arms.

“Why son, I only came to see if you have calmed down and gained a level head by now, I thought a night in a cold cell would help you get your priorities in order.”

“My priorities have always been in order, my family has always come first and I will never stoop to your levels! I would never apply such audacious rules and punishments upon them; I would never manipulate them to follow my own twisted agenda! I would never treat them like you have us!”

“Truly? As you said, like father like son; I would wonder what your brothers would say if I asked them those very questions. I have heard word that you’ve become a sadist; that would prove that you may just be worse than I.”

“My rules are cut and dry, they are simple rules with simple and plain consequences, I don’t kill my family for aiding another and I certainly don’t make them believe they would receive redemption by discarding each other!”

“So you actually believed it then?”

“Even if you meant it, I would wallow in dirt before I ever bow to you.”

“So hateful, you are truly that angry at me. You knew the rules, they were plain and simple, alter the life of a mortal and your own life is sacrificed! You knew this!”

“But I didn’t know she had done it until after the fact!! You never gave her another chance, a lesser punishment, something!!” I gripped the edge of the seat so heard I felt it would break, why, why would he come here to throw salt in an open wound?!!

“As a high ranking archangel it was your duty to oversee the actions of your brothers and sisters! You knew she was seeing a human and it was only a matter of time before he would expire! If you truly didn’t know it would happen eventually then maybe your title was misgiven.”

“How dare you!!?”

“You were selfish, misguided and you enjoyed your status more than your responsibility!”

“THAT IS NOT TRUE!!” I had lunged forward griping the bars in a loud clang but he did not move or even flinch, what I would do to slash his face!

“You were responsible for her, it was your duty to watch over them! Do not blame me for your own incompetence!”

“You killed my sister, you looked her in the eye and said she was worthless, you did that not me!!”

“But who was it that stood by as she saw that human, who was it that took the time to judge his character but not whether or not his lifespan was suitable for her!!? She was too gentle a spirit and too kind a heart to simply let him die as she should have, as her oldest brother and as an Archangel you had the duty to guide her hand!! You failed her not I, her blood is on your hands!” he was right…I was supposed to take care of her and I let her be happy, I let her smile with that human that was the cause of her demise. I failed her and the rest of them too… but I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing it on my face; he would never see it as long as I lived.

“Be honest with me, you never planned to give me the Terrestrial Realm did you?”

“No I did not; I honestly thought that once you saw the circumstances so heavily against you, you would flee from Diavolo and jump to a haven that would potentially give you all you wanted.”

“What I want…is my baby sister…”

“That is the thing about having responsibility Lucifer, one rarely receives the treasure they desire most.” He turned to leave and I clutched his robes.

“What would you have done if I agreed to your terms?” He looked to me with those shimmering eyes and actually thought of his answer.

“In honesty I hadn’t thought that far, from what your lady had told me you work harder than anyone in that cursed Devildom. I simply wondered if you would shed that work ethic if the status and reverence you craved were handed to you on a silver platter. But I have to admit son, you finally learned how to properly put your family first. I’m proud of you.”

“I am not your son!” I let him go and he chuckled.

“No, not anymore you aren’t; good luck Lucifer.” He bowed politely and left, closing the door behind him. I fell to my knees refusing to let the full weight of my realization display through any emotion, damn him, damn him, damn him!!

“Geez and I thought my family were a bunch of dicks, I finally get it now.”

“Get what?!”

“Why you are such an asshole, hurt people hurt people.”

“I don’t need you to patronize me!”

“Look I’m going back to sleep, you can ‘not cry’ all you like, I won’t hear you.”

“Don’t you speak to me like you are suddenly my comrade, you know nothing of me!!” She ignored me as she laid down with her back to me. I noticed that my wrist was wet and then began to wipe at my face.

“You aren’t doing me any favors!! You mean nothing to me, I have not forgotten what you’ve done!!” She didn’t move and I slid down the bars and pulled my knees into my chest. Damn him, damn him…damn...my pride…

J

“Okay so all we need to do is find some sort of correlation between these students and the others that will show Lucifer’s innocence. If we can prove that it was all either Azrael or Eliza that had anything to do with that video then we can get him out.” We walked around campus with the list in hand, I was furious at this whole situation. Why were we still being singled out, and what was Lucifer doing on that tape?

“Yeah but what if we talk to these guys and it makes things worse?”

“Exactly, if one student testified to running into Lucifer before their symptoms started then who’s to say that isn’t the case for others?”

“But it doesn’t make any sense, why would Lucifer be the cause of this?! He investigated this alongside me and Diavolo!”

“Yes, that’s true, but what reason would that student have to lie? Unless the witches council bribed or threatened him, but to do that, they would have had to have prior knowledge of the video that Gabriel uncovered.”

“Isn’t it by law that all sides need to have evidence shown to all parties before it is submitted into the proceeding?!”

“Think about it Tèa, did they show Diavolo any of that stuff? You didn’t even know I was subpoenaed to testify! The rules are very different in the other realms and in this case there is something going on that we are not being let on about.” Levi was right, whether those rules applied here or not there were obvious secrets being kept from us, and I knew for a fact that Reo was up to something.

“I want to know about that deal that Father was trying to make with Lucifer, what was that about? He said he was going to make him the Terrestrial King?”

“What is that anyway?”

“It’s a lower kingdom adjacent from the Celestial Realm, it’s where you go when you didn’t choose to follow Father but were otherwise an upstanding person. You get to live in a type of paradise but it isn’t as good as the Celestial Kingdom, sort of like a middle ground of Devildom and the Celestial Realm.”

“Can he even do that?”

“The Terrestrial kingdom is connected to the Celestial Kingdom, only no one really manages it. At this point, if you manage to mess up while you are there you are usually just sent here. But it’s very rare, the darkened angels are pretty neutral, they are neither for nor against Father.”

“I personally don’t see how anyone can follow someone who would make such schemes and say things about people they do not know! It’s irritating! No wonder angels are so stuck on themselves; they are deluded!” Satan had been agitated about the video since they first viewed it, but what stuck out to him the most was the fact that Reo spoke negatively of him. I was upset at that too, how can he speak negatively about these guys? Sure they were flawed and they had their quirks but did it really mean they weren’t good enough for anyone? I was no wonder the angels were so biased with such standards.

“Satan you know whatever was said doesn’t matter-“

“Of course it matters!! Don’t you understand anything?!” I stepped back just as we began to hear the chanting in the distance, apparently there were students that were protesting for Lucifer’s release. They stood outside the main entrance holding signs and refusing to enter the building. Lord Diavolo stood in front of them trying desperately to get things back in order to no avail.

“Now everyone I know this is upsetting but I assure you we are working as hard as we can to get to the bottom of it. But I cannot focus on that unless everyone is in class like they are supposed to be!”

“The judge is obviously corrupt, why would you allow this trial to continue?!”

“He is playing games and locked away our vice president of the student council!”

“He wasn’t even involved!”

“Why allow a tape when the human confessed and had the key?!”

“Lucifer fought for us!!”

“We are the victims, why are we being punished?!”

“Free Lucifer!”

“Hey, hey, ho, ho, this biased judge has got to go! Hey Hey!” The students chanted and filmed as we tried to approach, apparently more information had been leaked and this could mean serious trouble for us. But that the same time I felt a little proud, my fiancé stood up for what he believed in and others united in response. I guess he’s always had that quality, or else he would never have come here, I envied his conviction for standing up for his family, whenever I tried to help my own I would only make things worse.

“Wow the crowd is even bigger than I thought it would be! This story spread like wildfire!”

“Poor Diavolo, he isn’t in control of what’s going on.”

“Exactly, we need to get a handle on this before it blows up completely.”

“To hell with this!” Satan began to storm away, his already sour mood exacerbated.

“Satan where are you going?!”

“Away! Don’t bother looking for me!” What in the world was his problem?! Was the video really that upsetting to him, but then he was the avatar of wrath, maybe that was just the final straw. I wanted to chase after him, ask him what he needed right now but at the same time there was an angry mob that threatened to give Lord Diavolo a run for his money, we had to calm this crowd down. Satan would have to wait for now.

S

I couldn’t stand being there another moment, it was all just so stupid, all those demons chanting and praising Lucifer for what he said when they don’t understand any of it! And what made Jetèa think she knew anything about what I was feeling?! They didn’t know, they never bothered to understand and now that this stupid video went viral it’s like they suddenly knew all about us, all about me!! It was stupid, they didn’t care, in a months’ time they would forget everything while giving themselves a pat on the back for supporting a cause they were ignorant about!

I entered the campus library, usually the smell of old books and the near silence would calm my nerves, when I found a good story to read I felt far away from this place. When I dove into a fantasy, who I was and where I came from didn’t matter, what mattered was that I was making my way through a harrowing yet exciting ordeal that would land me into a tolerable ending that would prompt my growth as a person. When I was reading I wasn’t thinking about this fire within my chest, this rage that burns me every waking hour to the point that my vision is blurred and my palms bled from clenched fists.

Today the smell didn’t make me feel better and as I browsed past the titles I know I had already read before, I didn’t feel the fire fade. Fire…Kio said my soul was like fire. Ironic in a way and yet so fitting that my soul could represent the very thing I despise about myself. I spent all these months trying to teach him how to control his anger, to take hold of his rage and come down from it when every moment of every day I fought my own. At first I thought I was the only one with the ability to help him, I knew what he felt, so I would know what to say and what to do to quell the familiar beast that raged inside of him. But now I started to think I was a hypocrite, how can I help him take control of something that I was consumed by on an hourly basis? I tried to show him grounding techniques and breathing when it never worked with me, the only thing I learned was how to hide my rage, I learned to conceal my bitterness so that they wouldn’t look at me with fear.

They had looked at me that way ever since the beginning, when I was nothing more than rage incarnate. I wanted to destroy everyone and everything in my path for no other reason than to hopefully ease this fire. Each of my brothers would speak to me, telling me that there was good in this existence and to destroy everything would only leave less of it. I didn’t listen to them, I didn’t care, I hated them and everything about them and the fact that they were always lying when they said they were never afraid of me only made me hate them and myself more.

I picked a novel from the shelf a light romance, seemed ridiculous but maybe the fluff would take my mind away from this present situation. I must have read hundreds of romance novels, each of them telling me what a fanciful thing love was and how you float on air it seems. I found the idea to be ludicrous but I enjoyed the journey all the same, just like every other story. I remembered the first thing I had read, it was a poem by Bukowski, it struck me so much that it inspired me to read more; from that moment on it was the only thing that distracted me from the fire.

“Hello, you are Satan right, I heard about what happened during the trial yesterday and I think your brother was very brave.” A girl approached me before I could finish the prologue, it didn’t matter, with my current mood I wasn’t much interested in it anyway.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why was it brave, what about it spoke to you? What do you know other than what you have heard?” the girl stammered and took a step back.

“I…just thought it was wrong…I don’t think you’re an abom-“

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I AM!! NOW GET AWAY FROM ME!!” I threw the book aside and she quickly backed away as I let my claws carve along the wooden table. This was what lied behind my smile, this was the real me that others do not care to see, that others lie about when they say they aren’t afraid. They cannot say what I’m not when I can’t be certain of what I am…except for wrath. All I felt was hatred toward everyone and myself. I could feel myself shaking threatening to change, maybe I could let go just once…and be who they know me to be…

My DDD buzzed and at first I ignored it, but it went off again and I looked at it, expecting my brothers to irritate me further.

 **Kio:** Yo Angry Bird, you okay man?

 **Kio:** Come on Sae, I know you’re pissed right now answer me please.

Of all people to contact me now, it would be him…my fingers shook as I tried to decide on a simple answer.

 **Satan:** What have I told you about calling me that?

 **Kio:** That if I whispered it to you in the middle of the night you’ll have sweet dreams?

He says the most outlandish things, but damn if they didn’t make me laugh.

 **Satan:** You fucking smartass! LOL XD How did you know anyway?

 **Kio:** I saw the latest Devilgram of the protests and I caught glimpse of an angry blonde storming off in the background. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.

No, I wasn’t okay, not by a long shot; and though he wanted to make me feel better he wasn’t.

 **Satan:** I don’t know, I just hate fake people! They think that they care about us but they don’t know anything. And now that it’s all over Devildom, what the Celestial King said about me, I feel like a complete fool! They pretend they care, they think they know anything about me but all they do is patronize me and feel pity! They judge me and they know nothing about me.

 **Kio:** I know that feeling, I hate it too but I told you time and again man you are amazing. How you got here is only your beginning but it’s what you do with it that matters more. You are an unstoppable force of nature, you are Hell’s Hurricane, what strangers think doesn’t matter as long as you have people that DO want to get you.

I wish I could tell him what else was wrong, I wish that I could tell him that the only thing that eases my rage other than books is him. Seeing the way his soul would sparkle according to his mood, the way he would come up with the best pranks and the way he would tease me made me smile. But also it was the way he understood me, the poetry that touches my heart and his nonchalant selflessness that makes my chest ache in a different way. The problem isn’t only this stupid protest and that video…

 **Satan:** I guess you’re right, thank you for reaching out to me, even though you’re gone…sometimes it’s like you never left. I’m thankful for that.

 **Kio:** What are best friends for; I could never just leave you hanging like that. I would do anything for you Sae.

The problem is Kio that I believe I’m in love with you and I’m afraid to talk about it. After that night all I could think about was what I had done wrong, what did I say, did I come on too strong and scare you away? And even now we refuse to speak of it, we act as though it never happened, the bad and the good too. The problem isn’t just my identity, that asshole that talked trash about me or these ignorant people thinking they care. The problem is that for a moment I knew what not being consumed by rage felt like and now that I had a taste of peace only to have it taken away I fell even deeper into my dark pit and the fire consumed me more. It was the elephant in the room every time we spoke.

 **Satan:** And I you Kio, I would do anything for you…all you have to do is ask.

 **Kio:** Listen Sae, I have to go, there is something I have to do. But I’ll talk to you tomorrow evening, is eight good?

And yet if I did bring it up I feared you would be gone from my life altogether.

 **Satan:** That’s fine, I’ll call to you then, later Kio.

 **Kio:** Peace man!

I put my DDD away and looked at all the books that surrounded me, wondering just what type of story could get my mind off of this. I should be helping the others but until I could put my smile back on effortlessly there was no sense in even showing my face.

J

“Diavolo what is going on?!!” He looked to us graciously as we got to the front of the crowd that pressed tight.

“Oh thank goodness, the students won]t go to class, they are enraged by what happened yesterday! I am upset too but this will solve nothing; Jetèa I need you to speak to them!”

“Why me?!”

“You are soon to marry Lucifer, you are stricken the hardest by this and unlike his brothers you were there! I would have Levi say something but we both know he isn’t best with words and crowds!” He had a point, I looked at Levi and Beel and sighed before stepping up in front of the student body. I had no idea what to say…why would Kio say?

“Listen everyone, I know you’re angry and I know you’re hurt by the injustice that has been shoved at us day after day! We have done nothing wrong and yet we are shoved aside and victimized over and over to no end!” They shouted in agreement and I could see Diavolo’s confused expression.

“But you see they think they have us on the ropes, they think that if they repeatedly strike at us that we will fall and I can tell you it won’t happen! We are not going to let them see they got to us, we are not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing defeat on our faces! As members of your student council we promise to keep you safe, keep your rights intact and we will be getting Lucifer to freedom! But for now we must get inside and devise a plan of action in a peaceful and constructive way, we cannot let them think they got to us. We must rise above their dirty tricks and show them who the civilized race really is!” They applauded as they began to file inside, I doubt they will pay attention to their classes but at least they were inside. Diavolo sighed and put his hands to his hips as he shook his head relieved.

“They are going inside, good, one thing at a time.”

“How did they know about the other details of the trial?”

“I haven’t a clue, I was about to ask you the same question, someone had to have disclosed the information though I cannot locate the informant and no matter how many times I have that video taken down, someone new uploads it!” We all looked to Levi who flinched at the unwanted attention.

“Well….I-I-I thought what he did was really cool….”

“And it may have been, but you cannot even talk about the details of a trial or else it contaminates everything. I feel that we may face consequences for this and it may not play well in Lucifer’s favor.”

“But as long as the jury is contained then we may have a chance, in the end it comes down to them.”

“Come on Tèa, there are three demons, four humans and five angels on that jury. I am almost certain they were biased even before this happened.”

“Look we cannot judge others before we know them, we don’t want them to do the same, we have to rise above and be the example. We have to cease the cycle of unfairness.”

“Now you sound like Kio.” I blushed at that, he didn’t have to say it was a compliment, my brother always stood up and fought for others; he just didn’t know how to fight for himself…

“Diavolo, we are going to find these students and talk to them, I think maybe we can find a correlation to this situation, maybe they aren’t fitting into everything because of what Balam said. Something is very wrong and we have to figure it out.” I handed him the list to look over.

“Right, if you remember the records last meeting those students haven’t been to class since the angels questioned them. I believe they are afraid for some reason but they submit their assignments online and participate otherwise so we didn’t discipline them. While you are doing that I am going over the security footage on campus, sadly I don’t keep cameras in my office, but I have plenty of documents Lucifer has signed and dated.” He handed it back with a nod, I decided to send a picture to Satan in case he were to run into any of them while he was gone, although I doubt he would want to participate.

“But he could have done those at any point that day…all this trouble is making me hungry…”

“Exactly my thoughts; which is why I asked Barbatos if we…could use him.”

“Really?!”

“Would he do it?!”

“What can Barbatos do to help?”

“You see he can see into the future as well as the past, he can open portals we could view or even step through and we can even time travel.”

“Do you think we can change this so it never happened?”

“No, no, Barbatos is very stern about never changing the timeline, it has to stay as is, but it is very possible that we can simply view the different locations of the campus and show the judge that Lucifer is indeed telling the truth.”

“Sort of like Barbatos is the camera system! It’s ingenious!”

“That is if the judge goes for it…” We were quiet for a moment and I looked to the now empty area in front of the entrance, this wasn’t right…if he would allow the tape after a confession and the evidence found then he had better accept this.

“We are off, wish us luck!”

“But we don’t even know where they are!”

“Can we get their addresses?”

“No, because that would be using the students records and we really don’t need that headache. We can ask around, I’m sure we can get pointed in the right direction since everyone wants to help.” The last thing I needed was another scandal involving student records.

“Good luck guys, I will give you all a pardon from classes today, just do your best alright?”

“Thank you Diavolo.” I noticed he looked really down and I remembered the last words Lucifer had said to him before they were taken apart, they have their disagreements but they were good friends, I never had a doubt that Diavolo cared about him. I looked to what was left of my group and nodded and we were off down the path, I only hope that we could find something that would help us.

K

I had to end that conversation with Sae, I know he was getting too deep and I was close to saying the wrong thing. He said all I had to do was ask…I wanted to ask him to come up to this attic, I wanted to ask him to hold me close and I wanted to…no, that was over. That part of us was over and we were never coming back to it, I couldn’t, I would only hurt him again because of my own fears! He was willing to closet himself to be with me, be my secret and dirty pleasure and I couldn’t have that. I could never lower his worth to accommodate myself, but I was too damned scared to love him openly.

It was just one of the many things that kept me up at night, the disappointment of my parents, my failing grades, my friends or lack thereof and let’s not forget the constant rage I feel clawing at me. That violent beast paced inside me like a wild animal in a cage, wanting to tear off the hand of everyone who dared reach inside. Why was I always so angry, why was it so strong. Satan had helped me a great deal over these months, I used to just get belligerent at the drop of a hat without even realizing myself what had set me off, now I had control over my own tongue and I was able to stay in the moment and remember what I had said and done.

He also showed me how to take control over my lower levels of anger, like six wild tigers he taught me to control one at a time, reprimand them and put them back in their cage to be used only when I wanted them to be. But the last two…they were much stronger and I was afraid that if I tried to take over I would be destroyed by them. One was savage and wild bent on tearing apart everything in sight and the other…sadistic and cold, its goal to destroy too but slowly and painfully. They would peer at me with hungry yellow eyes and dripping fangs that intimidated me, in truth I understood why they feared my anger, because I did too. If I couldn’t walk away, if I couldn’t properly contain the other four…then those two will seize the opportunity to take over everything.

And the most confounding thing of it all was that the only thing that kept those two raging beasts at bay was this debilitating sadness I felt all the time, like the bars of a cage it’s cold and hard, weakening at some points but reinforcing each time those beasts broke free, keeping them locked away…keeping all of me locked away. in truth I was nothing but a cage filled with ugliness that I covered with a white cloth displaying a straight A student, a good and obedient son, a kind and doting brother and a good friend granted if anyone gave me the chance. I needed that cloth, I needed that covering because if anyone knew what was really there I would only disappoint and dishonor my family. As the son I had to make up for my sisters, I had to be the one that was easy to raise, I had to be without fault…but now that white cloth was stained red with my failure to keep the ugliness at bay.

I wanted to tell Sae that the only thing that quieted most of my beasts was him, he had a way of charming them, even taming them in a way. He looked right past my covering and reached in my cage unafraid but I cannot allow him to do that anymore or else the other ugliness inside would destroy him too. And so I was alone to fend for the ugly monsters that paced and growled within me, the six beasts of rage and the others that I dare not acknowledge.

Feeling myself spiraling again I looked at Barbatos’ number I had put into my DDD and pressed dial, hoping he would and wouldn’t pick up.

“Mister Minamino, I have been expecting your call.”

“H-h-hello Barbatos, I um… I’m sorry, I’m not good with this sort of thing.”

“No worries, you do not need to feel nervous.”

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“You can start by telling me why you called me today, what brought you to this point in your life.” I looked around the attic and thought of everything that happened this year and it didn’t make anything better.

“I called because…I have nowhere else to turn to, everything I have tried before failed and I haven’t gotten any better.”

“Do you believe that there is something wrong with you?”

“Well yeah, of course there is something wrong with me, I’m always angry and I hurt people…I hate myself for it.”

“Do you enjoy hurting people?”

“No! Why would I enjoy it?!”

“Then why do you believe you do it?” These questions were already getting on my nerves.

“I don’t know, I just get really pissed off and it just happens, the next thing I know someone is hurt and I’m a monster!”

“So you believe you are a monster?”

“That’s what I said.”

“I see, and what is your definition of a monster?”

“Something that’s mean and horrible, something that destroys things and makes people afraid.”

“Do you feel that a monster is capable of nothing but those things? Does it have the ability to make abstract thought or obtain sentience?” I thought about that question, I never considered it.

“I don’t think so, no.”

“So it is safe to say that a monster is not a tangible thing but rather a state of mind at the time?”

“You mean like an emotion?”

“I wouldn’t call it an emotion per se but rather a circumstance. You said that a monster is something that only causes harm and fear. If you feel that you are a monster and yet from what I have heard you are very capable of constructive behavior, empathy, abstract thought and critical thinking then wouldn’t it be safe to say that rather than being a beast or actual being that a monster is but the name of the situation you find yourself in?” Is he already shrinking me right now, when did we even start??

“So you’re saying that I’m simply using labeling in order to dissociate myself from society due to guilt? That I am punishing myself due to my own negative behavior?”

“Is that what you believe I said?”

“I believe you are asking a lot of stupid questions!”

“Your mother is a psychologist right? And she has tried to talk to you before and that is how you know of those terms?”

“Well yeah…”

“What has she said?”

“That I am suffering from trauma, I mean bad things happen to people all the time, they get over it.”

“Unless they can’t.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I think I know where to start.”

“You mean we haven’t started??”

“Not really, I just wanted to get to know your mind a little, sort of like looking at a cluttered room and deciding which piece to pick up first.”

“So you think my mind is cluttered?”

“Is that what you feel?”

“You are the one that said it!”

“I simply used an analogy.” I thought about it and he was right.

“I’m sorry.”

“I can tell you are a very intelligent but very guarded young man, I would be delighted to assist your process. However now that you have chosen my services I will not allow you to cease until the process is complete. I shall also tell you that I am quite stern with it comes to punctuality, I would rather we do this in person but given your circumstances I shall do it this way but you are to call twice per week at five pm Mondays and Thursdays and do not be a second late am I understood?” His tone was so harsh, what could he possibly do if I didn’t want to do this anymore?

“And I know you will have second thoughts, but believe me, I have my ways Mr. Minamino.”

“Okay fine, but if we are going to talk can we drop all these formalities, it makes me sound…just please call me Kio.”

“Very well Kio, I expect you to call me Monday at 5pm, however if you ever feel you are in crisis you are to call me no matter the time of day.”

“Alright, well I suppose we are done for the day then?”

“Of course not Kio, we have barely scuffed the surface, and we have two hours and forty five more minutes in our session.” I tried hard not to let out a sigh, what the hell did I just get into?

“Now I want you to tell me about your family dynamic.”


	7. Going deeper into the Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Lucifer locked away Tea and the others do what they can to gather more information about the damning evidence but in doing so they uncover even more questions.  
> Kio continues his therapy, searching deeper into himself to decipher the origin of his rage .  
>  Satan is left with numerous emotions he doesn't know how to deal with.

Part 4 Chapter 7

J

“This doesn’t make any sense!” I was at my wits end right now and this day was getting worse by the moment. My fiancé was imprisoned, all of RAD is infuriated, someone is leaking information, Satan is still missing and three of the students we spoke to have the same story as Balam!

“This is why they wouldn’t answer the angels questions and then stopped going to school. They feared retaliation from the student council.”

“But how could all of them have come down with these symptoms just minutes after running into Lucifer? I mean we all know Lucifer, he doesn’t just go up and touch people and suddenly he put a hand on at least eight other students?”

“And all on the same day too.”

“Lucifer was with Diavolo during the time they said this happened. He wouldn’t lie about something like that!”

“Then it’s obvious someone else is doing this.”

“But who?” That was a good question, Mammon’s group was getting mostly the same story and the more I thought about it the more I wondered if this wasn’t planned from the beginning.

“Mammon just sent a text, number five on their list said the same, Lucifer was in the hallway when he touched her shoulder, minutes later she started itching and developed a rash.” I stopped short and thought a moment…I may have got it.

“What do those students have in common?”

“They all saw Lucifer.”

“They all got sick.”

“And they were all in the hallway during class! In the video the halls were empty except for you and Lucifer because class was in session!”

“Then those students didn’t fall under any of the other criteria…”

“Because they were completely random!”

“Not necessarily, think about it, once you guys were marked and you had this horrible mark you were easily taken control of right?”

“Yeah you know that, I hate thinking of it…I acted like a savage.”

“I remember we were in a meeting one moment and the next the whole student body was gathered around it seemed.”

“Ugh that day was worse!”

“Exactly, but what if those students that were in the hallway were marked so that they couldn’t tell?” The two of them thought about it and a look of shock went over their faces.

“If they could be controlled from the beginning then they were only taken to make sure the plan didn’t go wrong before it went off.”

“Yeah but that’s the thing, no one is going to question Lucifer, why mark those students because they saw him?” I wondered that too, it didn’t quite make sense, but then none of this did.

“Fancy to see all of you out taking a stroll; I suppose being above the law can grant such perks.” Solomon stood by a nearby tree just off the sidewalk, he stepped out just as we walked up and I found it very suspicious.

“Who walks out of the shadows like a level four villain, I mean seriously?”

“Yeah, that’s a little weird Solomon.”

“You two would say that, my cousin is behind bars while all of you go about smiling and hoping she is found guilty of a crime she had nothing to do with!”

“Guys I don’t think we should be talking to –“

“And you are the worst kind Jetèa Minamino!” He pointed a long finger at me, contempt in his dark eyes.

“Excuse me, you don’t even know me!”

“You were Liza’s friend, she trusted you and if there was anyone that should have stood up for her it was you!! But what did you do, you ignored her and threw her under the bus, letting your boyfriend mistreat her yet again!”

“I had nothing to do with that! I wasn’t supposed to speak to her!”

“And then I realized how they got the idea she was involved in the first place. I had made friends with a couple of the guys from the band, I knew Satan but the new guy seemed like he would be fun to hang around and so I invited them around, it was after that evening, after I told him about me and Liza that she got taken! And it wasn’t until I heard from other students that the guy I thought was nice was none other than your own brother!” My heart stopped, I knew Kio was supposed to get the information but I hadn’t for a second thought of what would happen to him after.

“Wait, so that’s why Satan and Kio were hanging out with him?”

“He was nothing more than a liar and an instigator! He only became my ‘friend’ so that he can get information from me, he’s nothing but a snake just like you!”

“He is NOTHING like me!! He is a kind and gentle person, he wouldn’t have lied to get you to say anything! He would never intentionally hurt someone for personal gain, yes I put him up to finding you and getting the information but he didn’t do it to hurt you or her!” He stared at me baffled that I would insult myself and tell him he was wrong at the same time. I couldn’t tell him that it was Lucifer that put him up to getting the information; he was in enough hot water.

“You know he stayed with me for over a week, he really did seem like a nice guy, even cleaned the place to earn his keep. But he heard what happened and said nothing, like he didn’t hand my cousin over to them like a scapegoat!”

“Have you seen him around lately, do you know where he is-“

“If I do I’ll do a hell of a lot worse to him than what Satan had done, I’ll kill the spineless coward!” I snapped at that moment and swung at him, he can’t say those things about him, he can’t say such things that were all wrong!!

“You shut your mouth!! You stay away from my little brother you bastard!!”

“Tèa take it easy!” Beel held me back as I screamed and cried at him, angry that he would say that, want to do that…he didn’t need to hurt anymore!

“You look like you can actually care about someone, funny, if you cared a fraction as much about my cousin you would have spoken out for her! You were her friend!”

“Well it looks pretty bad for her right now, it looks like she was in on it all along and your pacts were the key to it all! Once all the pieces fall together we will find out the truth and she will go to prison for her crime!!”

“Tèa!”

“You are so stupid…do you have any idea who the judge is, do you know the punishment for intentionally corrupting an angel?! IT’S DEATH!!” we froze at Solomon’s words and hot tears coursed down his cheeks.

“D-d-death…no, that can’t be! I mean what happened was bad, really bad but…”

“Think about it, there was an attempted demonic genocide and an angel was corrupted and ultimately killed! If it is proven that Liza had orchestrated this from the beginning then she will get it from both sides!”

“And you know how father is; our sister was sentenced to death because she extended the life of another. This case is about basically cutting one short, and you know the angels are taking it very personal.”

“And it’s all your fault, all of you! The witches council will not rest until the injustice is recognized and your schemes are unveiled!! You’re nothing but filthy liars!” He turned and left at that and I felt such a sense of dread at everything, right now there were two suspects for this trial and whoever was found guilty…

“This is really bad…We have to figure this out, if the wrong person is found guilty then they will die, I don’t want to see that again!” Beel squeezed me tighter and I felt the wind leave me.

“Let’s get to the next students house, I don’t want to run into him again.”

“Same here, do you think he would try to hurt any of us?”

“I would never let anyone hurt you Tèa.” Beel hugged me to reassure me but I really wasn’t thinking of myself in this moment. We walked on silently, letting Solomon’s words sink in along with the severity of the situation. Diavolo and Lucifer had to have known this…why didn’t they tell me?!

“Mammon says they got everyone and the last two said it was Liza they spoke to in the hallway before it started.”

“That’s a start I guess; this is the place!” We approached a house and outside in the garden was a demon with silver hair and violet eyes he was watering the flowerbed and seemed consumed in his task. I turned on my recorder and stepped forward, hoping he wouldn’t be overwhelmed if it were only me.

“Excuse me, are you Talon?” He looked up sharply and I stopped in my tracks, he had a fearful look in his eye and seeing we were in our uniforms didn’t ease his tension.

“I have nothing to say to you! Get off my property now, I didn’t say anything!” This was not going to go well. Levi and Beel stepped forward but I motioned for them to stay there as I crouched by the violets.

“They are beautiful; I can tell you care for the violets intimately.” I grazed the leaves of the tiny flowers and he seemed a little bashful at my movement.

“Yeah…they are my favorite.”

“They match your eyes, simply lovely.”

“No…my mothers’…she meant everything to me.” I suddenly felt a pang in my heart, why was everything reminding me of him today?

“I take it you two were close.”

“Yeah but some demons killed her when she interfered with a fight, now it’s just me here, I don’t bother anyone and I stay out of trouble that way. I haven’t said anything so you don’t have to worry!”

“Say anything about what, that is what we are trying to understand. Why are you worried about us finding out you told if we don’t even know what it is you know?” He looked at me with a baffled look and shook his head.

“You’re trying to test me, I know it, well I’m not falling for it.” He turned to leave and I grabbed his arm without thinking making him panic.

“AHH, don’t hurt me please!!” he fell back onto the ground and shielded his face like I was going to strike him. It was insane, I let him go immediately.

“What are you doing, no one is going to hurt you! We only require a few answers, please and then we will leave you alone I promise!” He panted and quickly stood looking in my eyes as he brushed himself off.

“Fine, ask your questions and then leave me alone.”

“Do you remember the day you were infected, the day the mark started?”

“Of course I do, it was the week of finals, Thursday evening to be exact I know because that is the day I water the violets.” Okay at least one is different…

“Do you know what you were doing?”

“I was walking home, I live a bit far so I take the shortcut through that way there.” We looked to the path that lead into the woods.

“Did anything strange happen to you to trigger the rash?” He let his hands fall to his sides and he stared at me blankly.

“Yeah…you jumped me in the woods and said that you would get Lucifer and the others to kill me if I ever said anything to anyone about Wednesday or that day for that matter.” My mouth dropped and I heard their gasps behind me.

“Tèa…?”

“My first time in these woods was three weeks ago I never ran into you last year let alone hurt you!”

“Then how do you know my name?!”

“I have a list and an address from other students; you and twelve others weren’t effected by Eliza or Azrael and I wanted to know the reason you guys were different.” He was very skeptical and backed away from me as Beel and Levi closed the distance.

“We are really trying to find the truth, we think people are being framed and you guys are the only ones that can help us.” Beel was the gentlest soul I had ever known, I know that if he said he meant someone no harm then he meant it with his life and I could tell Talon saw that too.

“I heard about what Balam had said and I thought it was odd, Lucifer is always with Diavolo, if not him then he is with you. I see all of you in the halls, which is why when I saw him with Lennox I was confused; he was having a conversation like they were friends when they had only just met. I watched as he patted his hair and when I spoke to him later he was scratching that area…so much of his hair had fallen out and he has a scar now.”

“Then what you saw that day, must have been the reason for the attack that Thursday.”

“Now this is was very scary…Lennox was the last one on the list…Oh!”

“What is it?” I read and reread the text and looked to the others.

“Satan actually ran into Lennox…and just confirmed the story Talon gave us about him.” someone was doing this on purpose and trying to cover their tracks as well.

“He’s going to Diavolo to meet up with everyone we should go too.” I looked to the timid demon and extended my hand in thanks.

“I promise you I didn’t do it, but we are going to find out who did and we will make things right.” He didn’t accept my hand but took his watering can and went back inside. He would probably never trust me but there was no reason to dwell on it, I was used to it by now.

K

“Yes okay yes when our father took my sisters out to the Yomi-no-kuni region for some bonding time I got pissed off. I was left out, who wouldn’t be?!”

“But you had just said that you had your own date night with your mother that same night, the two of you went to a museum and then to a concert. You said that concert was what truly opened your love for rock music.”

“Yeah…”

“So help me understand, why were you so angry, why was that the night you noticed the full power of the anger for the first time?” I took a breath and thought back to that night, my mother and I had dressed casually and gone to an art museum, I was only eleven and by that time my sister was beating me on a regular basis. Because of what happened to our younger sister and feeling the guilt from that I was already deep in a pit of despair and I knew for a fact that though I kept a nonchalant façade my mother was trying desperately to find some sort of outlet for me. She was always trying so hard to make me happy, called me her beautiful flower as my name represented, and doted on me relentlessly. I wanted so much for her to have happiness and I knew long before then that I could never tell her what was going on, telling her would only upset her and then I would be the reason she cried.

“Did you know my parents thought I was going to be a girl? When I was born they were surprised but my mother was so dead set because she had already called me her beautiful flower when she was pregnant. She was like ‘okay so what if my baby’s a boy? Just change the pronunciation he is still beautiful!’ and that’s how it happened. Ha! …you think I’m stalling don’t you?”

“Are you stalling? In honesty I am curious about the information you just divulged me, I could sense a bit of irritation in your voice as you said it.”

“I was bullied for my name…I was asked all the time if I was a girl pretending to be a boy in primary school. I was told I had a soft and angelic face as a child and though the name calling ended by the fourth grade I was already very insecure…about my masculinity.” Damn that hurt so much to say, I had never said it out loud!

“I see, and from what you’ve already told me your sister was feeding into that insecurity when she would abuse you.”

“Yeah that was her style, find a weakness and go for it, called me names like bitch, crybaby and sissy. Told me that as the son I should be more of a man and less of a failure, so I did whatever possible to live to the standard in every way. I even refused to let my hair grow longer than a particular length, I know my father wore his much longer and at times he looked feminine but…he could pull it off…no one questioned him.”

“And you felt you would be questioned by others?”

“I was already questioned by others, so I never gave it a second thought. I…it wasn’t fair, she can treat me that way she can do and say those things to me and get to go out with our father like nothing was wrong. She was never punished and I had to heal each of those wounds and pretend everything was fine! I had to work twice as hard to hide it, to make sure our parents stayed happy and she was always seen as the shining star! Our parents took us out but I could tell that it was to uplift me more than reward me, I was lavished with pity while she came home with a lavish new dress! She got to have wonderful memories to look back on while all I could think about was the beating she gave me just hours prior!! So yeah I was pissed off, because even if I had fun that night it was going to happen again and there was nothing I could do about it!” I pulled the DDD away and buried my face in my knees to steady my breathing. This conversation was scratching at wounds I wasn’t prepared to have opened and I was not doing well.

“It’s alright, Kio take a moment to calm down, but I want you to tell me what you are feeling as you do so.”

“I’m angry!”

“Come on, what else is there, remember what I told you about lumping your emotions and mislabeling them.” I took another breath and thought about that night, it would have been the best night of my life but I those freshly healed bruises were just as fresh in my mind. I thought if she saw how loyal I was to her, how much I worked to make her happy she would stop and she never did…

“Resentment, sadness, and rejection…”

“And are those feelings toward your sister…or are they toward yourself?”

“What?!”

“So far you have told me how insecure you are, how your sister fed into that insecurity that manifested because of your name and appearance. You just told me that you had even adhered to a set of rules in said appearance until just a couple years ago. As well, after hearing about your name and the way it had caused you problems as a child I can understand why you prefer to be called Kio instead. Would it be safe to say that along with feeling these things toward your sister, you may feel these things toward yourself?” Was he really saying that I was resenting and rejecting…myself?

“I…I never thought about it…”

“You also told me that you even dress differently at home than here, you speak differently and you say that feel freer away from your parents and yet your parents never gave you such restrictions in the first place.”

“That’s right…what about it?”

“Hmm, I think I want for you to come to that conclusion.”

“You’ve been making assumptions all this time and when I ask a question you clam up, what the hell?”

“You still write correct?” He ignored what I said completely!

“Yeah I guess.”

“I want you to write a letter to your younger self, think of that little eleven year old boy from that night and think about what you would say to him. I want you to think about that and write it down before our next session.”

“So I get homework too, is this going toward my grade?”

“I expect it to be done by Monday and do not forget, 5pm on the dot. Our time is over, but remember that if at any point you are in crisis you are to call me understood?”

“Yeah sure…I gotcha.” We hung up and I let out a huge sigh; that was hard as hell and that was only the first session! He was so invasive, yet I felt like it was okay to talk to him. He didn’t joke or judge me but instead he listened to me patiently and it made me feel…good. Sae would listen to in the rare occasions I opened up like that, he showed me support and kindness when he could have belittled and hurt me. He held my secrets dear and he kept true to his promise not to leave me alone when I was low. The thing is I was the one that left him, he had his own past and his own pain to deal with and he always stayed by me. I could have been so much better to him, instead I treated him like garbage. This was the exact reason I had to keep him at a distance, I would only damage him more with my bullshit and he was too important to me for that. I thought about the others and how much they feared me that day, Mammon had said he wanted to hang out but now I wondered just how long before I would damage him too? All I had really wanted was for people to accept me but in reality I wasn’t even sure who I was! I had said that I felt so angry because of my resentment and rejection from my sister, but Barbatos asked if I felt those things toward myself too. I hadn’t even thought about it until then, I hated myself and who I was and yet I couldn’t even explain just who it was I even hated.

I looked to the notebook I had been scribbling in and I looked through it, some were lyrics and other stuff was just dark angst I was feeling at the time. I thought about that night again, seeing all the art and old sculptures, having dinner together and even walking down the street enjoying the night air. I should have enjoyed those things, I shouldn’t have focused on my mother’s voice being too soft and gentle like I were fragile, I shouldn’t have thought about what Tèa had done and will do days later. I should have enjoyed the night as any kid would…but I wanted to tell her. I wanted to speak up to my mother that night and tell her what my big sister had been doing but when she was going out of her way to make me happy, even buying me ice cream I could tell she knew something was wrong with me. I would feel her anxiety, she knew something wasn’t right but she didn’t know what and she was trying to cheer me up. I knew I couldn’t do it then, I couldn’t ruin a night that should be such a great memory for her so I put on that smile for the first time, the same smile the girls at RAD coo over and the guys wonder how I have all my shit together… when really I was in pieces on the floor. I picked up the pen and began to write, that conversation was definitely going to stick with me for a while.

J

We had gotten back to Rad and quickly gathered in Diavolo’s office and closed the door behind us. I quickly went over to Satan who stood by the desk with a distant look in his eyes and I gently touched his shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay, I thought you would want some time alone so we let you be.” His emerald eyes flitted over to mine but his plain expression didn’t change.

“You were right to do so.” He didn’t say anything else and I backed away, he was obviously not in a good mood and he was walling himself off from us.

“I don’t get this, these guys is really sayin’ that Lucifer was the one that gave em these marks! Lucifer ain’t gonna just curse random students!”

“To hell with curses, he wouldn’t just touch random demons either! I could see if it were Asmo, but come on!”

“You’re just jealous because people welcome my touch Belphie, they cannot get enough of me!”

“Guys focus! We are missing something here, all of these students have one thing in common.”

“Twelve of them were in the hallway when those files were taken.”

“And the thirteenth was a witness.”

“So the original eighty four students were marked with a pact but in this it was though a touch?”

“What if…the pacts had nothing to do with it?” Belphie looked over our lists and the information I was writing down.

“What do you mean?” Satan stepped forward looking at my chart with a glint in his eye; he always loved a good mystery.

“He’s right, we assumed that because many of these demons had pacts with Eliza and or Solomon that it had something to do with it! Even Azrael said that she used a spell to make them look like pact marks to demons so she wouldn’t be caught. So what if all of them had gotten it the exact same way after all, they were asked about making pacts, not about what happened just before the symptoms occurred…”

“My, my, you are quite the inquisitive one yes? I can see why you are so highly favored.” We all froze and turned to see Reo with Diavolo and Barbatos, the way the Celestial king stood proud made the large office seem much smaller. He rested his eyes on us and I could instantly feel the anxiety from my brothers.

“You are all back, good I’m glad you got some answers, maybe we can get to the bottom of this.” Diavolo strode in like nothing were wrong and began to pull paper and files from his desk as everyone looked to their estranged father.

“Reo, it is a pleasure to see you again.” I stepped forward and bowed respectfully which he returned with a smile.

“Though not under such circumstances I can agree dear, hello boys, I can see that none of you have really changed, I am unsure if that is good or bad!” He gave a hearty laugh but no one was eased. Once we had explained what we were doing to him we played the recordings one while they listened quietly. Once the last one was through the kings eyes rested on Satan and I saw the vein in the Wrathful demon’s head swell.

“Tell me young one, what you were saying as we entered, do you believe that the method you spoke of is the most plausible?” It was like he had no idea how much he offended and hurt Satan by saying the things he had, or maybe he expected him to focus on a more pressing matter.

“All of the students suffered the same symptoms, most began at differing times throughout the month but the week these files were taken these thirteen were infected within twenty four hours. We believe that this was done in order to cover the culprits’ tracks; one was even marked and threatened because he was a witness to another marking.”

“Interesting, but as it seems Lucifer is no better now than before, in fact this makes his case much worse. And somehow Miss Minamino is in on this as well, it seems you have dug yourselves in a deeper hole even if that were the case.”

“Yes but as I said before I can prove that we are telling the truth, from what they mentioned I can pull up the security cameras from the halls here starting from the files room when the incident occurred and we can watch.” Diavolo pulled down the projector screen and plugged the camera feed into the projector.

“Good grief, have you ever heard of a computer monitor?!”

“Levi hush!”

“I want everyone to see, I haven’t looked yet but we can get a good picture here.” He played the footage, about 12:15 Lucifer had walked up to the records room to wait, it was three minutes later that Levi showed up and gave him the key. They spoke for about a minute and then he waved Levi away and disappeared into the room for about twenty minutes and came out carrying a large stack of files.”

“That is information we have already seen Diavolo.”

“Just wait please.” We watched as Lucifer then traveled down the hall and with each student that shared the walking space he seemed to greet and touch in a friendly manner. We even saw him ruffle the hair of another student as another walked on behind.

“Lennox and Talon…” Then he turned a corner… and disappeared.

“Wait, where did he go?”

“And why is Eliza walking down that way suddenly?!” Unexpectedly Eliza was now walking down the hall and had placed the files in her backpack before swinging it over her shoulder, she walked up to girl who had seen her as it happened and touched her hand as they spoke for a moment.

“That’s Vinzi, we spoke to her earlier.” Mammon looked just as amazed as we were staring as Eliza continued down the hall and into the restrooms.

“I…don’t understand…”

“It’s seems like our little witch had played a spiteful prank yes? Here we see Lucifer with the files but suddenly he vanishes and it’s her with them? Keep playing I want to see if she comes out.” We watched it fast forward for another hour of the footage but she never came out that door though others have come and gone.

“That is interesting…but it doesn’t take him off the hook entirely.”

“Well sir I may be able to assist with that if I may, I only require two mirrors.” We waited as the mirrors were wheeled in and placed side by side, I noticed everyone was still stiff being in her together with their father and I wouldn’t blame them after all that’s happened.

“These are the documents that Lucifer has signed for the D.E.V.I.L. program we were going over that day, he dated and everything.” Diavolo spread those out as Barbatos displayed two separate images on the mirrors, one of them together going over the project in this office and the other of him going down the hall with the files. Reo looked closely at them both as they played.

“Look Lucifer isn’t just my second in command he’s my best friend and though I do care about him I wouldn’t lie about something as important as this, so if you think this was some sort of forgery-“

“Shh quiet!” Reo raised his hand to quiet him and listened as they spoke in the images.

“Come now Lucifer this is an amazing plan one that you and Jetèa had created in just one day, you cannot tell me that you two aren’t a great team.”

“We are classmates and housemates, nothing more; and I would appreciate if you left the subject matter alone.”

“Zoom in, quickly!” Barbatos enlarged the image so that it would seem we were standing right beside them as they spoke.

“Come now old friend, when she first got here you were even more bad-tempered than your usual self and since the two of you have become friends I feel more of a light in your eyes. Every time she is standing beside you I see you relax just a little bit, you can’t fool me!” Lucifer signed yet another document and sighed as he sat back with a half-smile.

“I am relaxed because for once my brothers aren’t being a bother. We completed this plan in one day simply because she was obedient enough to listen to my ideas. Though she has her endearing qualities and I admire her work ethic, that cursed female has no effect on my emotions whatsoever.”

“Stop it right there, that is Lucifer, no doubt about it.” Reo folded his arms and nodded and we were all floored.

“Wait really?”

“Just like that?”

“You believe us?”

“Not that I am doubting or complaining…but how did you know that so quickly?” The Celestial King turned to us with a calm expression and picked up the notes and graphs I had been scribbling earlier.

“It was something he had said yesterday, he has his own key and he was the one who had the cameras placed. It would be utterly foolish to commit such an act in plain sight unless you _wanted_ to be seen. Young one I believe you are onto something with that theory, we jumped onto the fact that seventy one of those demons were connected by a pact made…but if the bearer of the ring wasn’t there it is more plausible that this occurred through a touch. After all it is how pure energy is transferred” Satan only glared at him gritting his teeth in the near darkness.

“But, what about this?” I pointed to the mirrors with the still images and he chuckled.

“Just before he said that last bit he leaned back inhaled and closed his eyes before he smiled. That is Lucifer’s tell, if he ever takes just an extra moment to take a breath close his eyes and apply a smile of any size what he is about to tell you is a lie.” Wait…so Lucifer had feelings for me even before we went to the lake last year?

“How you know that?!” Reo looked to the others who took a step back as we flicked the lights back on.

“I know him, I created him, just like I have all of you. Like I know Mammon will chew his bottom lip when he is nervous and Leviathan will wring his hands, I know that Beel used to chew on that very necklace he wears when he is deep in thought. A father knows.” They looked at him amazed and I watched at that moment as Levi began to wring his hands. Reo stepped closer to Satan and studied him closely, he stood just at the Kings shoulders but it didn’t intimidate him at all.

“However young one, it is you I do not know.”

“It didn’t stop you from calling me an abomination!”

“And I do not take that back.” My heart shot into my throat and I heard the others gasp, Satan was about to blow a serious fuse and Reo only looked at him calmly.

“Ah even now, you want to kill, destroy and punish. You want me to pay for those words, well I will not take them back. Your entire birth is comprised of hatred and anger, nothing but a devastating and destructive path of misery and annihilation. Such a thing would never be welcome in my home, and yet… that item in your pocket holds such a deep and powerful connection to you and another.” Satan went pale and the room went deathly silent.

“Yes I called you an abomination because of the circumstance of your birth; that is a fact not an observation so I will never take it back. It was anger and hatred that tore apart my family and you were born of that very thing. However, just because I would never accept you doesn’t mean that you hold no value at all, mind you I already know you are insightful and intelligent and can be very dutiful as I have seen from the information gathered by my Archangels. I can also see that you are very capable of affection… when that dear girl over there prayed at Michaels feet, I was shown that demon born individuals are more than simply that. And as I mentioned that item you hold dear I could see a same glint of pain in your eyes; you are more than that vile thing I hate most about you.” He turned and grabbed his briefcase and looked to the mirrors once more.

“I can plainly see that someone is trying to cover their tracks here, and thus far I can gather it is Elizaveta that is framing others in this situation. I want these to be recorded somehow and I want to also have evidence of Miss Minamino’s whereabouts that day and the day after. I shall take your theory into serious consideration as I confer with everyone over how to proceed. But as for Lucifer, this is enough to clear his name, though I do not appreciate his conduct I have nothing else to hold him. I shall alert the guard at the dungeons at once. Diavolo, you shall accompany me.”

“Of course.” Wait…I wanted to talk about the penalty, I wanted to say so many other things but Satan stepped in front of his path before I could utter a word.

“That is all, I only met you today and you speak to me so condescendingly!? Not to mention who knows what you said about me before and when I bring it up I only get a quarter-assed apology and reiteration that I am nothing more than a source of disgust?!!!” Reo’s expression didn’t change as he looked to the other brothers who at this point were anxious about what Satan would do next. I crept over slowly hoping that I could comfort him but to my surprise Reo grazed Satan’s cheek with a finger without a hint of offense.

“Imagine that you are a butterfly, just humor me. Now little butterfly what if I were to tell you that you are an insect, a lowly life form but that there is something more to you. Would you focus on the part when I said you were something more, or the part about you being an insect? I have only spoken truth to you and yet you despise me for it?” I put a hand on Satan’s arm as he gritted his teeth.

“I hate you!”

“And I you little one but it doesn’t make you useless.” And with that the two of them were gone.

“Satan-“

“Don’t touch me!” He stormed off as well, just as agitated as before but this time I followed him to the stairwell. I realized this was the stairwell where he had shoved my brother and I was about to approach him until he reached into his pocket and pulled out a guitar pick. That must have been what Reo was talking about, he sat at the top of the stairs and looked at the small item in the palm of his hand as he began to sing softly to himself.

 _“Sometimes I don’t want to be better, sometimes I can’t be put back together. Sometimes I find it hard to believe, someone out there can be just as messed up as me…”_ It was one of Kio’s older songs, he put the pick pack in his pocket and buried his face in his hands as he continued to hum to himself. I didn’t know what to do, so far my comforting has done nothing for any of them so I left him to himself. I believe after today we were all left with a mixture of pained and elated emotions. Lucifer was cleared, thank goodness…but this meant that if Eliza was found guilty she would be put to death. As happy as I was to have a family member back with us, this situation only brought up further questions.


	8. Hanging in the Balance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer is finally freed and the gang try to put together the clues they had found. To celebrate Lucifer's release they go out together to a cherry blossom festival sparking romantic thoughts as Satan calls Kio as they had agreed...only for darkness to befall them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: SH or S****de

Part 4 Chapter 8

L

It was early Friday morning when my father entered the aisle accompanied by two guards. I was nowhere in the mood to endure his petty banter again and simply turned my face to ignore him as he stood in front of me, what was he planning now?

“Come now Lucifer, don’t be so cold, especially when you are being set free.”

“Set free?” His eyes shimmered as a smile stretched across his face.

“Yes it seems there has been…astounding evidence that works in your favor. As it were I shall be conferring with Diavolo, Gabriel and Miss Morozov’s council to decide how to proceed. You however are free to go.” The guards unlocked the heavy gate and swung it open as I stood.

“Wait so he is caught on camera stealing files that lead to the whole incident just to spend two nights in a cell and all is good and I have done nothing wrong and I have been locked away for nearly a month?! This is obviously favoritism!!” Elizaveta clung to the bars panting angrily, her icy blue eyes flashing at me.

“Dear child, it is my position to take all possible evidence given to us, place it all out so that it is clear as day to ensure we have all the facts and then once the jury uses said facts and comes to a conclusion I make ensure the punishment fits the crime.” He crept closer his gaze stern on her.

“I would not provoke me child, because the very proof that clears his name only further sullies your own.” He turned and left and I saw the look of devastation on her face as the guards guided me out. I hadn’t slept well in two nights and I wasn’t about to protest a chance to be in my bed again, but I couldn’t help but feel troubled by the look on her face.

J

“Alright we have the food on the table, the flowers in the vase and the welcome home banner has been raised.” Tari looked over her list as I paced frantically, Lucifer would be home in just a few minutes and I know he would want a hot meal and a soft bed but all I wanted was to hold him again. The others worked together the best they could to make the house spotless and we even played light music, we all seemed to be in good spirits, even Satan polished the silver with a slight smile.

“Isn’t this a bit much; he’s been gone two days.” Valac and Beel were snacking on some of the chocolate covered bat wings that were placed on the table.

“We want him to know how special he is to us and how happy we are to have him back, it doesn’t matter how much time has passed.” Valac only shrugged and shoved another treat in his mouth.

“Ey here they come!” we all hid and kept quiet as Diavolo and Lucifer came into the entrance hall and then the dining hall.

“What is all of this?” we all jumped out and yelled surprise startling him; I wrapping my arms around him and squeezed like I never wanted to let go again.

“Welcome back big bro!”

“We’re so happy to see you Lucifer!”

“We made you breakfast and everything, have a seat.” He looked at all the food and to his brothers and gave a slight chuckle.

“I figured you lot would be overjoyed to have me gone.”

“Yeah usually we would.”

“But after the way you told off Pops we had to have ya back!”

“What?”

“Yeah there is a video of you giving Father a piece of your mind and it went viral!”

“All of RAD was shouting their support.”

“You stuck up for us like a real pro!” Lucifer looked over to Satan who’s face flushed just a little before turning away.

“I personally could care less if you were still in there, it didn’t make anything any less noisy. So it makes no difference to me.” I let go of my fiancé as he turned toward his younger brother and reached out.

“Satan…”

“What?! I said my peace, do you want a red carpet too?!” He threw the tray of silver to the floor in a loud crash and it set his brother off.

“How can you act so brazenly in front of guests like this; have you no sense of self control?!”

“No I guess I don’t, I’m just a shameless mess aren’t I?!!”

“You are so infuriating, as a student council officer it is your duty to…” Lucifer trailed off mid-sentence and looked to his brother with softer eyes. The room was full of tension and all eyes were on them. Lucifer didn’t continue yelling at Satan but instead reached out his hand.

“What, what do you want?!”

“Come here Satan.”

“Hard pass!!” Lucifer grabbed his arm and pulled him in to hug him.

“I’m so sorry…I am so sorry that I have spent so many years wrapped up in my own loathing that I turned into the very person I hate the most. That was never fair to you, you should never have known what dealing with him felt like and you have every right to hate me.” where his arms previously hung at his sides Satan slowly raised them to hug his brother back and after a moment the two separated silently.

“I want to take my brothers out tonight, there is a Cherry Blossom festival in the human world and I think it would take everyone’s mind off of this debacle of a trial.” Everyone gasped and looked to each other excitedly and I felt a painful swell in my chest. This would be Lucifer’s big opportunity to mend things with his brothers; they have a chance to bond again. I was so happy for him and yet…

“Yes well that seems like a splendid idea but certainly you should rest for now.” Diavolo grabbed a croissant and took a large bite.

“I have been resting for two days, there is a lot to talk about, Tèa, Diavolo, Satan and Levi to my study now. Thank you so much for the warm welcome, I appreciate it greatly.” He took my hand and walked on with a concerned look in his eye and I had a feeling I was going to get some of my questions answered after all.

L

I paced around my study as I listened to what Tèa and Diavolo had done yesterday as well as Satan’s theory. It seemed like there were pieces that were falling together, but something was still off. Why would this witch go out of her way to frame me, and why the whole façade when Riley had the evidence and even confessed?! Something was staring me in the face and I wasn’t seeing it!

“So it is very possible that these infections occurred through a touch and not a pact, but what were the reasons for them?”

“Maybe to throw us off the trail, the very first thing I had noticed was that Beel Belphie and Satan had pacts with Eliza and had these symptoms, remember when Azrael had stated she used a spell mask the wounds to look like pact marks? It wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t have pacts but carried the marks.”

“So again this is to cover tracks but then with each of the infected, not just the originals, these were signs of pure energy transferred to a demon. If all of these infections happened through a touch then it is very possible that it was all the same person.” Satan looked over the notes as he sat in the armchair, we all stood around thinking of what to do and how this all fit together.

“Which would point back to Azrael, but there was a vast amount that stated that they were never in contact with her. I questioned up to two hundred students after it all happened according to them they were going about their normal day when it all happened.”

“They didn’t have contact that they know of, someone is shape shifting and that is the real key here; it is possible that Eliza is the culprit after all.”

“But what if we have it wrong, what if she isn’t guilty and they kill her!!” Tèa slammed her hand onto my desk as she looked in Diavolo’s direction and he looked to me. I had supposed he expected me to know an answer to that question. I turned to her, her olive eyes welling with tears as I struggled to find the right words for her.

“Beloved…I-”

“Why didn’t you tell me the punishment was going to be death?! Why did you allow me to believe that she would only be imprisoned?! If I had known she would die I…wouldn’t have…” She buried her face into my chest and I held her; I thought back onto the look on the witches face when she found her circumstances had not improved. If she were in fact guilty of her crime she would be angry instead of so dejected; it was either an act or…

“You have done nothing wrong, the evidence was stacked against her and for the moment she is the most possible accomplice.”

“Lucifer is right, Reo had mandated this punishment for an intentional corruption long before you or Elizaveta were born. It is a sort of treaty, so no one is tempted to act against the angels and keep the peace. Even if she isn’t found guilty on our charges but is on theirs she will still receive this punishment and it is out of our hands to do anything about it.”

“We now see that Azrael didn’t act alone, she used the lyre to control the infected students but the main question is who infected all of these students in the first place? We know she had done some of them but there was no way she infected them all and what about her reasons that started it all?”

“Exactly old friend and also there is the question of the pure energy, what spells can be used to create pure energy to displace into a demon in the first place?” I looked to Satan who still mulled over the notes and jotted things down himself, I know him, his mind is working.

“I called you in for a reason, what do you make of it all?” He looked up at the rest of us his eyes drifting far off as though he were looking at all of the information written on the walls.

“I think we are getting ahead of ourselves, first of all if someone went through the trouble to frame Lucifer and even Jetèa why did Riley confess to doing the act and why did he have a copy of the key? And the biggest question is how did whoever committed this act take an armful of files and yet this wasn’t noticed?” Diavolo and I looked to each other, we checked the file room after we found there was a breach and all were accounted for. Even beforehand when we were adding to the files like student grades and attendance updates there was nothing amiss, no gaps, none were emptied or anything!

“None of the files were missing and now that I think about it, what exactly were the files needed for in the first place? If Riley had stated that the information was needed to get the pacts in the first place but the infections had nothing to do with the pacts then why steal the information?” This was becoming a puzzle the more we went around it.

“The main question would be why Riley confessed and had the key, it is very possible he was being used as a scapegoat. I think we should have another talk with him to get a clear understanding.”

“Very right Satan, meanwhile since the trial is on a temporary pause Lucifer and I will meet with the Archangels and try to get onto the same page for once, what they did was underhanded and I won’t stand for being blind sighted again.”

“But not tonight, tonight we will celebrate being together as a family, isn’t that right everyone?”

“W-w-wait, you brought Tèa and Diavolo because they are attending the trial and Satan has great ideas, why am I here?”

“Because you were the one who uploaded that damned video that caused such an uproar in the first place and you are to be punished for it.” My brother trembled and looked to the floor and I felt my loves hands on my arm.

“Luci please, you haven’t been home a few hours yet, can we at least postpone the punishments for a time?” I felt my heart tug at hearing her soft tone and I sighed, she always was their advocate.

“Starting tomorrow you will take over Satan’s silver polishing, this will be your duty until further notice am I understood?” I caught the glint of relief in his eyes just before he feigned disappointment and groan, by brothers will never change and I liked it that way.

“I suppose…aw I hate polishing silver…”

“Make sure you don’t leave any between the tines.” Satan graced us with a genuine grin and I felt relief. We adjourned the little meeting and I took a long and hot shower to erase the feeling of that cell and the isolation of it. I began to think about how Elizaveta felt in that dim dungeon alone for weeks before I had even arrived and I thought about all of the points we had discussed before. If she was arrested based on pacts her and he cousin had and it was found that they had nothing to do with each other, it didn’t prove she was innocent but it did prove that we were looking in the very wrong direction.

I dressed and entered the hallway when another realization crashed my mind like a freight train: I had promised Kiomè that I would return days ago to visit him! He must be very angry with me now and what of he ran out of food? I again thought of how isolated he was and what it may be doing to him mentally and I was truly beginning to regret my decision to keep him there. At first I had wanted to harm him, but I figured simply keeping him away from Tèa was good enough but now I wondered if even that was the best choice. I still couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t harm anyone else or at the very least leave again, for now he was safest where he was as long as I was here to keep an eye on him. I had to get up there immediately and be sure that he was alright-

“Lucifer?” Of course not.

“Yes my love, what is the matter?” She entered the stairwell with saddened eyes and she fidgeted as she thought of what to say..

“I’m sorry I just thought I heard footsteps and came to see what was the matter…”

“It is only me, I was just making sure my brothers didn’t wreck the house in my absence.”

“I’m sure all is fine, they worked hard for your homecoming I haven’t seen them work together like this in a while.”

“Thank you for that, time in a cell put a few things in a new perspective for me, and being next to Elizaveta was quite enlightening.”

“Do you still think Eliza is guilty?”

“At this point I question everything, we have uncovered even more mysteries than I would like to recall. I just want this whole thing put behind us once and for all.” She nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked so distracted…

“I feel the same, I’m just happy you’re home…” Her lip trembled and I pulled her close to my heart as she began to cry, I was such a fool to have hurt her so with this secret. I didn’t need her to tell me to know what was wrong.

“I feel like such an idiot, I should be happy that you are home, that I can hold you in my arms and yet I am still so sad…I’m so sorry Luci.”

“I know Beloved, our family isn’t complete and that fills you with grief, but I know he must be alive out there somewhere and sooner or later he will come home.” I just couldn’t imagine when…

“You’re right, as long as he is safe and happy I could be alright but I just don’t know. My brother is stronger than I gave him credit for, so I should have faith in him, he will come home when he is ready…where does this staircase lead?”

“Just the attic, there is nothing up there but a bunch of old furniture and antiques I try to keep Mammon from selling. Come dearest, let’s go to my room and we can make up for lost time.”

“Mm, I know you missed your cuddles, my Luci wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t there to pet his hair as he fell asleep.”

“Watch it woman.” She lifted on her toes to kiss me and I carried her back to my room, I would have to try again another time, just please be patient Kiomè.

J

“Look how pretty the trees are!” It wasn’t the first time I had seen cherry blossoms but the way they were displayed in rows with stands and pretty decorations took my breath away. I held Lucifer’s hand as we all walked along taking everything in. I wore a white Yukata with red rose petals since we were in my home country and all, Asmo Satan and Mammon Followed suit but everyone else wore their usual clothes I couldn’t wait to see all the sights with my fiancé and my brothers.

“I assume this isn’t your first time Beloved.”

“No, Daddy takes us every year but this is my first time with you so it makes it new.” He smiled and squeezed my hand tighter.

“Ohh, look at all the snack stands!!”

“This view is simply amazing, Levi come and take some pictures of me with the trees, they will accent my beauty wonderfully! Satan you too, you’ve been such a fuddy duddy and I think some pictures will make you feel better!” everyone quickly split up and I noticed Satan with Asmo and Levi looking like he would rather be elsewhere. I shoved it out of my mind however because unless he wanted me to help I couldn’t. I looked up to my fiancé and I noticed his eyes were far off and distracted as well, what was he thinking about?

L

“A penny for your thoughts?” I looked down to my love who looked at me curiously and I only smiled at her.

“In honesty I’m trying to get my mind off of this trial, as I said this festival was going to but it is still rather difficult.” Also I was wondering how long I was going to be able to keep this lie from her, I had made her swear to never keep things from me and I could feel myself digging deeper into my pit of guilt the longer I hid her brother from her. Would she forgive me if I told her the truth? Maybe I could set him free, would he tell the others of what I did? Maybe if I made that a condition…

“Earth to Luci, I said you should take your mind off of it by kissing me! Goodness is it that bad?” She pouted and I took her chin and kissed her softly.

“I am alright love, do not fret over me.” I had to come to some sort of solution, if it wasn’t this infernal trial, it was the fact that I was betraying my fiancé that ate away a me. I didn’t enjoy the two days of near isolation, he was there for weeks, I had to do something but what? For now I had to shove it aside and enjoy my time with my family.

We were watching the boats and lanterns as they floated along the river just as it went dark and I loved the way her hair would glow like rubies in the lantern light. If I wasn’t already engaged to this beautiful creature I would propose to her now.

“You are such an amazing woman you know that?” She turned and smirked as she looked back out.

“I know, you loved me long before you were able to admit it.”

“First of all I didn’t say all of that and what proof do you have anyway?!” She turned around completely and smiled wider.

“A certain conversation between you and Diavolo that cleared your name but found you guilty of being in love with me.”

“Will I forever be haunted by that damned day?” I kissed her passionately and I felt my DDD begin to ring.

“Is it Diavolo?”

“No…it’s Barbatos…” He doesn’t call me unless something had caused Diavolo to be indisposed.

“Hello?”

“Go to the end of the row of stands, take the portal and head to the house of Lamentation quickly.”

“Why, what is the meaning of this?”

“My Lord has left some documents for your return; however it has been later found that they are quite urgent and need your attention NOW.” His tone was stern though professional and I couldn’t help but feel unsettled by it.

“Alright I shall be right there.” He hung up without even a goodbye and I found the situation odd, but at the same time this would give me a chance to check on Kiomè so I will take the opportunity.

“Beloved I have some documents that Diavolo needs me to sign, will you be alright until I return?” She looked a little disappointed but nodded.

“Go, I will be here when you get back love.” I kissed her again and headed away, I don’t know what it was, but something told me to hurry.

K

I sat on the bed with my DDD in my hands waiting for eight o’clock to hit, why was I this nervous to hear his voice like we haven’t spoken all week? I felt so silly thinking about it, checking the time every few minutes and bouncing my knee anxiously. This was so stupid, I was acting like…like a schoolgirl or something! I threw the DDD down and paced around the room trying to think of anything but that call.

“Maybe I’m going to stand you up, I mean you’re used to that sort of thing right? I mean it isn’t like I don’t have things to do that are better than talking to you.” Satan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed sneering at me. I know better now.

“No, you are just a result of my mind projecting my anxiety into my consciousness, you aren’t real.”

“I may not be real but that doesn’t change the situation, you’re the one that left me, told me I was nothing to you and ran off like a coward. I have no obligation to talk to you, I have no obligation to even think of you.” I began to breathe and count backwards from one hundred.

“I’m nervous as hell but it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world…”

“Look, it’s ten after; obviously I could care less about you.”

“Maybe you’re just busy…”

“Maybe I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”

“And if you don’t that’s…okay, I will deal with it.” He disappeared and I took a breath, the more I recognized these mind games as my own fears and fantasies the easier they were to control. Barbatos may be invasive and pushy but he knew what he was talking about, that three hour talk helped a lot.

My DDD rang and I hated how I nearly jumped for it.

“Hey what’s up?”

“Hey Kio, sorry I’m late, Lucifer took everyone to this cherry blossom festival and I got tied up taking pictures with Asmo.”

“It’s all good man, I have no where special to be or anything.” That’s an understatement.

“Good, you should see this place, it’s beautiful at night I’ll send you some pictures!” he sent pictures of a river illuminated with lanterns that hung from the cherry trees on each side, it was like the stars decided to nestle in the branches it was so pretty. In the last picture he sent a selfie of himself in a yukata holding a treat in his mouth. Damn me for only thinking of taking a bite as it rested there.

“A sakura Mochi, nice, those are really good!”

“Yeah the snacks are pretty good and the drinks are amazing, Beel is eating everything in sight of course but at least everyone is having a good time.”

“I’m glad, dad would take us every year to see it, but I swear it’s different every time.”

“Oh yeah? I can figure that, it looks so magical here.” That place at night was always so romantic looking, what I would give to hold his hand as we walked around there.

“I bet, I hope you are enjoying yourself, you deserve a good time after all the chaos.”

“I am but…I wish you were here…” oh no, don’t be weak, don’t do it Kio!

“I wish I was with you, I miss you Sae.” Dammit!

“Then come on, we’re in Tokyo right now, get a portal and get here. Come to us, come home to me…please.” I heard his voice break and my own chest ached, I shouldn’t have said that!

“Sae…I-”

“Look it has been damn near three weeks and I try to forget about that night and I can’t! I try to forget about what we were, even if it was just for a moment I can’t let it go! I want you to come home, I want to hold you, I want you with me and I never want you away from me again! It hurts…it hurts to feel peace and have it taken away again. It hurts to want to touch your face and you are so far out of reach; it hurts to sleep in your bed, smell you all night and not wake up beside you.” His voice was trembling and I had to fight to hold back my sobs. He was breaking apart and if I had just kept my mouth shut those weeks ago he wouldn’t be hurting. Why did I say those words…I wish I could go back, choose another option or phrase…I can’t handle this!

“I love you Kio…I’m in love with you and you said you loved me too. There is nothing holding us back, so please come to me...or maybe I can come to you, I just want to see your face.” I want that more than anything but I can’t don’t you see?! I would only damage you and I couldn’t leave if I wanted to!

“Well…I can’t do that, I’m sorry.” I heard his dejected sigh and I couldn’t stop my tears.

“What did I do wrong, I know I may have come on too strong but I never meant to scare you away. Just tell me what I did to make you leave…you said you loved me…”

“Yeah, I did.” 

“Then be with me Kio, I would do anything to be by your side…and I would give up my own soul to hold you again.” I had to nip this in the bud, if I let it go further I would give him false hope. He deserved to be flaunted and showcased, I can’t accept this part of myself and I refused to love him in the dark.

“I can’t do that Sae, I’m sorry but that was a one-time thing. We can never go back to that because I don’t want to hurt you but we can always be friends.” The silence was deafening and I didn’t have to be in front of him to feel his anger rise.

“So let me get this straight: over a month ago you kissed me because you liked me and because you thought I hated you for it you ran away. We finally get you back and you confess that you love me and that you had for a while and when I tell you I feel the same you are so happy that you actually make out with me! But after a bit of necking you freak out, tell me that you don’t like me that way after all, said that you were using me to satisfy your curiosity and nothing more. Then you lie about a girlfriend to push me away! Then out of the blue we start talking again and you tell me all of these things about how great I am and how you miss me and care about me, but when I pour my heart out to you all I get is rejected _again_ and you have the balls to say you want to be friends?!!” Damn…when he lays it out like that I really seem like a bastard.

“Sae I didn’t mean to hurt you with this, I just have shit going on-”

“AND YOU THINK I DON’T?!! You must think I don’t feel anything but anger, that I can’t feel sad or depressed or even lonely?!! You think you can just string me along like some fucking puppy to use only when you need and not until then??!!”

“Sae I’m sorry, I really am, I fucked up-”

“What was the point of even telling me then?!! If you were going to reject me anyway what was the point in telling me you loved me?!! ANSWER ME!!!”

“I…don’t know…I wasn’t thinking when I said it-“ That was the wrong thing to say and his laugh proved it.

“You weren’t thinking…no you are so right you really weren’t. I have spent all this time worried about you, thinking about you and wanting you all while you WEREN’T THINKING of me!! I stood up for you, I helped you, I took so many scratches and injuries from you in your fucking temper tantrums and you didn’t give a shit about what I felt about it!! Who was there when you were low, who kept Lucifer off your ass when you weren’t in the mood for his shit, who was there when you cried over shit? It wasn’t anyone else and yet you _weren’t thinking_ of me!!!” He was right…he did all those things and what have I done for him? All I’ve done was hurt him time and again, I truly didn’t deserve him! I was already into a panic attack as he screamed at me and I know he was far from spent.

“You’re right, you’re so right, I’m so worthless to you I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t jump on the self-deprecating bullshit hoping to get any pity from me, I am so sick of your depressed emo rebel boy act! You act all prim and proper for your mommy and daddy but you want to be a badass for your friends. You’re nothing but a two faced lying bastard!! You said shit about your sister but fuck, talk about manipulative, you have a mask for every audience you perform for!!” He was cutting me deep now and I felt myself spiraling.

“I’m sorry Sae, I really am…I-”

“SHUT UP!! Don’t say you’re sorry now, it doesn’t mean shit to me and I could care less about your crying right now! Maybe your sister was right to beat the shit out of you, your fucked up shellfish personality makes it so damn easy to do so!! Do me a favor, never speak to me again!! I would rather burn my library to the ground than be your friend; in fact I wish I never met you!!” I was on my knees I had never felt this low before, my heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest!

“You don’t mean that…please say you don’t mean that…” there was a moment of silence and his voice went eerily calm.

“I’ll tell you what Kiomè, do you want me to forgive you? Do you want to make it right?”

“Yes anything!” it was silent and then I heard that low angry laugh.

“Stay gone, don’t bother coming back. As a matter of fact, if you really want to make it right since it is too late to never meet you, how about you do us both a favor and slit your wrists for keeps this time. You have spent your entire life not living to expectation, you have lied and used others all while playing the sad little rebel boy to rake in sympathy and it’s pathetic, you even cut yourself for attention. Well then, if you truly hate yourself, if you are actually telling the truth there then kill yourself. _That_ will make me feel better you shellfish _fucking bastard.”_ He hung up on me then and I felt my world go dark, it wasn’t the words he said that triggered me the most but the calm way he said it. He meant those words wholeheartedly and I knew he was right, I wasn’t worth anything to anyone and the fact that I was in here was proof. I could hardly breathe and my vision was very blurry as I lifted myself to a sitting position. I felt so low that I was actually numb…or really I just felt empty. I was completely empty like a water bottle and all that was left was to discard it.

“So do you actually have the balls to do it for real this time or are you going to puss out like everything else you do?” Sae sat on the bed waiting…I know it isn’t him…because the real Sae wouldn’t want to be anywhere near me. My DDD began to ring again and again but it sounded muffled to my ears, like it were coming from another room. I can’t handle any more of his yelling anyway…

“I haven’t been anything but a burden to everyone I care about…”

“Exactly, you have nothing else; everyone is already disappointed in you. Okay, let’s be real, they hate you. I mean either way you will die in this attic; how about you take some initiative for once. Come on I’m waiting, once I know you’re gone from this world I’ll be able to sleep at night.” He rested his chin in his hand with a smirk and I broke down again. I took my claws and raked at my wrists and they flowed heavily with blood.

“Good, now send a picture for good measure, it will be the last time you make me smile.” I did my best to take a decent picture but it hurt too much and before turning my DDD off I only sent the puddle of blood with the message ‘yor rit im sy’ dammit I can’t even send a proper final message…I’m fucking useless. At least it will be over soon.

J

We spent all evening at the festival and it was simply beautiful! I took in the beauty of the blossoms and the romantic atmosphere of the place at night and I wished Lucifer would hurry back from wherever he had gone to so we can enjoy it together. I stood between Beel and Mammon enjoying my milk pudding and watching other people enjoy the festival.

“This place is so beautiful! It was a good idea we came here!”

“Yeah and it was Lucifer’s treat too, I’m all for that.”

“The food is amazing, I didn’t know you could make so many things with cherry blossoms.”

“Where did Lucifer go anyway? He said he had to run back to the house and sign a few papers but that was maybe a half hour ago.”

“Ya know Lucifer, a few papers is about a hundred, he’ll be back, ‘sides ya got us to keep ya company in the mean time!” I hugged my friend close and I saw the jealousy in Beel’s eyes.

“Here try my milk pudding, say ahh.” I gave Beel some and his eyes lit up at the flavor.

“So where do you think they sell the-“

“Wait, do you hear that?” I heard yelling and I swore it was coming from behind us.

“Is that Satan?”

“Uh-oh did someone try to scam him, he’ll destroy the whole place over a few grimm I swear.”

“Says the one that is always trying to scam him.”

“Shh, guys…he sounds distressed, come on!” we went behind the booths and stands to find Satan pacing and yelling into his DDD.

“Kio please pick up, I’m so sorry I was just pissed!! Don’t hate me, please I didn’t mean it!!” He hung up and tried to call again only to leave a similar message.

“Satan what is going on?!!” He was hyperventilating and that alarmed me greatly.

“I was talking to Kio and I got mad and I yelled at him and now he won’t answer! I said something so fucked up, I said a lot of things that were so fucked up and I wasn’t thinking when I said it!! I just wanted him to hurt the way he hurt me and I didn’t think about what would happen!! Answer your DDD Kio please! I was just being an asshole!” I felt myself step forward as he dialed again.

“You’ve been talking to Kio? How long has this been going on, I don’t understand… did he tell you where he is?” He was dialing and redialing furiously and the more agitated he became with the voicemail the more anxious I became. His DDD beeped and he looked at it. I saw all color leave his face as he trembled violently and dialed again.

“Ey Satan…what exactly did ya say to him?!” he fell to his knees dialing again; it was like he didn’t even hear us.

“Please, please, please, please-GODDAMIT!!” he threw his DDD smashing it against the brick wall and bent over like he were in pain as he began to sob and I felt my heart stop.

“He turned it off…he needs help and I don’t even know where he is…it’s all my fault. I said those things… he’s hurting himself and it’s all my fault! I don’t even know where the hell he is!!!” He cried and I felt Mammon’s arms around me, I didn’t even know my legs gave out and I didn’t feel the tears falling from my eyes. The only thing I did feel was my world crumbling around me.

“KIO!!!!!!”


	9. Lucky Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer finds Kio severely injured and jumps into action to save his life. His caring for him eats away at his time for Tea which makes her feel very suspicious on top of the grief of losing her little brother.

Part 4 Chapter 9

L

I had no idea why Barbatos cad called me to fill out paperwork that Diavolo couldn’t speak to me about and I was even more perplexed as to why he was so urgent. I entered the silent house and to my room to find the large stack on my desk that had in fact grown since I had left and I didn’t hesitate to start on it. Most of them pertained to regular student council work and there was the matter of the flora dance Diavolo still wanted to coordinate I read over the proposal of the designs, food choice and choice of flowers that Tèa had made. I went over the materials needed and the cost and I set up the portfolio for Satan to go over with the council budget. Once that was completed I looked over the information for the upcoming sales and then I applied my signatures to approve the upcoming round of community service applicants that had been truant.

Once that was completed I found documents that were pertaining to the trial and I stopped short. The very thought of looking at the overview when I hadn’t left a cell not much more than twelve hours ago made my stomach turn and I placed my pen back down. I sighed, my head fuzzy with the memory of the dark cold bars and the brick floors and I remembered that this was the perfect time to check on Kiomè! I prepared a basket of a weeks’ worth of food and treats a few books and some spicy mango juice and walked up the stairs. I disabled the spell and lifted my hand to reach for the knob and my nose caught a metallic scent, it was faint but I felt alarmed all the same and I knocked loudly. I wanted him to say something, give a smart-alec comment about knocking when only I could enter but there was no sound. I opened the door and the metallic smell crashed to my nose like a wave on a cliff face!

“Kiomè…what have you done?!!” He sat against the far wall, his head bowed forward, both wrists slashed and blood pooled around him like a dark crimson sea. I dropped everything and first grabbed his hands in mine to look at the wounds; he used his own claws, three jagged claw marks went diagonally across each of his wrists to his upper forearm. This was a good sign, if they were vertical the bleeding would be greater and harder to control. The blood itself was very dark which was also good, this meant that these were venous wounds and could be stopped with pressure and they still bled, good, it meant he had a pulse. I grabbed the pillows from the bed, quickly removing the cases to fold them into squares and applied pressure to the wounds. I knelt before him with his wrists in my hands and I tried desperately to think; I had to get secure and even pressure to stop the bleeding. I removed my tie and tied one of the pillowcases securely to one wound and used my belt to secure the other, now that the pressure was steady and even I had to assess his level of consciousness. I leaned his head back and he was obviously pale I used the light on my DDD to check his pupils and they did dilate and restrict in response.

“Kiomè, can you hear me, can you speak? I need you to tell me what happened!” He didn’t respond and I looked in his eyes while rubbing his face and hair. I couldn’t shake him around I had to keep his heart slow and steady but at the same time I was panicking. He has harmed himself before but he always heals the blood vessels; this wasn’t a simple need of an outlet he was trying to die.

“Look at me, come on, stay with me Kiomè.” I checked his breathing and it was shallow, and I listened to his heart that was slow but still beating but his body felt very cold. I ran to the restroom and began to fill the tub with warm water and look for medical supplies, laying them on the counter. I picked him up gently and lowered him into the warm water, resting his arms on the sides of the tub as I sat him up putting a towel behind his head for comfort. I checked his pulse again and it was still going and thankfully steadier than before. His breathing was still very shallow and he was not responding to my voice; if I had come five minutes later it would have been too late but if I hadn’t come back to the house at all…

I checked his make-shift bandages periodically and when the bloodstains coming through hadn’t grown in size in over twenty minutes I knew the bleeding had in fact stopped but if I removed it now it may reopen. Even if I could do so, there was still the situation of repairing the damaged veins. Maybe I could get him to at least close the veins, but if he had done this in the first place without attempting to stop it, then convincing him to save his own life would be difficult. I happened to look at his face and he peered back at me with empty eyes to my surprise.

“Kiomè, can you hear me?” His eyes moved only slightly like he were only on the verge of consciousness and I petted his hair to maybe rouse him further.

“If you can hear me, I need you to listen carefully; you need to heal your wounds, if you are too weak then at the very least close up the veins so the bleeding can stop for good and I can treat you.” His eyes slowly moved away from me before closing if that wasn’t a ‘no’ I don’t know what it was.

“Do you think dying here will solve anything, do you think it will erase the problems you have?! It will do nothing but place them onto everyone else! What about your mother, your father and sisters, do you honestly think they would fair better if you perished?!! If you die here then everything anyone has done thus far will be for nothing!!” His eyes looked toward the ceiling and blinked slowly. But then…wasn’t my whole purpose for bringing him here to kill him? I mean of course I didn’t but when I grabbed him that night and dragged him here I had full intention on taking his life. For me to say his dying wouldn’t solve anything must mean nothing to him!

“I realize that sounds hypocritical coming from me, I was so angry with you for what you have done. But no one holds that against you, no one is angry with you Kiomè…everyone wants you back.” He was unconscious at this point and I slowly and hesitantly untied the pillowcase that covered his right wrist and to my relief it didn’t bleed much at all. I reached upward for the medical supplies and gently cleaned the area with devildine and thread a needle to sew his wounds shut. My heart raced as I tired again and again to get the thread through the needle, should I even be doing this? He needs a doctor but if I took him from here the secret would be out, but then I could not allow him to get any worse. I feared that if I attempted to stich him up he would still bleed under his skin if he were to move.

“Why…are you…doing this?” I looked up at him and his head was still turned away and rested on the towel but his breathing became just a bit more labored like he were distressed.

“Kiomè, you need to-“

“You need to leave…” he was speaking just above a whisper it was obvious he was not in the mental or physical state to be alone, not by a long shot.

“I’m not leaving you, you need to close the veins you severed, they clotted but I would feel better if you healed them.”

“No.”

“You say that like I am offering you a damned homework assignment, I’m trying to save your life!”

“I didn’t ask you to…”

“You don’t have to ask me to, there are people who care so much about you! That want to see you thrive and be happy and you doing this will destroy them! Your sister mentions you every day, everyone wants you back!”

“That’s a lie!”

“We need you to stay alive…you dying…it is only going to hurt so many people. Your sister needs you, my brothers need you…I need you!” it was silent and I really began to think about what I had said.

“We used to be friends, we used to be able to talk, I didn’t think anything of it until just recently but you have such a knack for getting along with everyone you come across. It’s because of that you have been like a mediator between myself and my brothers, well when I was on your good side at least. And you and I…we had gotten on so well that it wasn’t difficult to see you as my own little brother. You are family and my family has always come first, so I cannot allow you to die…because I love you as my little brother.” I waited and I heard a weak laugh.

“And I thought I was full of shit.” At least he can make a cynical comeback; I looked to the wound and it had stopped bleeding after nearly an hour of pressure which led me to believe that maybe it was safe to give proper first aid. I gently cleaned the wound again to make sure there would be no infection and sewed the jagged claw marks shut, I then applied the same treatment to the other side. I looked down to him as I had moved over and found he was unconscious again, he had lost a dangerous amount of blood and I wondered if he had gone into shock. I quickly removed him from the warm bath, dried and dressed him and placed him in the bed with his feet elevated as I checked him over again. His heartbeat was quicker and he was still very pale but he was no longer deathly cold and his pupils responded as they should; yes much longer and it would have been even more serious. What was I to do now, I had isolated him and because of that he tried to end his own life. If I had released him weeks ago this wouldn’t have happened but even now I was stuck because taking him from here at this point would prove to worsen my case. She will never forgive me for this but if he were to perish I would never forgive myself. I looked to the large mess on the floor and began working to clean it up, looking at it he must have lost at least three pints of blood, if he were fully human he would have gone into shock and died long before I had even arrived. I was so happy to count these factors that combined ensured I had gotten to him in time and tried to use this to keep my spirits up as I worked.

Another hour or so had gone by and I noticed the color beginning to return to his cheeks and his breathing became regular. I brushed his hair back from his face and looked to the boyish face that slept, I know what it is to feel pain guilt and misery, but this young man felt such pain that he wanted to end his own life. He was so lost and low that he believed this was his only option left and it was my fault for leaving him here.

“Why did you do this, why did you think this was the only option?”

“I’m…sorry…” I looked to him and he seemed to be looking past me.

“Kiomè…?”

“I’m such a piece of shit that I couldn’t even kill myself right…what use am I to anyone?” he seemed so out of it and I petted his hair as he started to cry.

“I’m sorry Sae, I tried…but he wouldn’t let me…he wouldn’t just let me die…” Was he hallucinating that my brother wanted him dead?! Isolating him was the worst thing I could do to him and that was proof. I pulled him into my arms and held him as he sobbed, he was in so much pain right now…

“Whatever you think you see isn’t really there. Satan would never want you to harm yourself like this, he can get vicious but he would never want anyone he cared about to come to such a permanent conclusion. You know him better than that, it’s all in your mind and we need to work on making it better.” Except I wasn’t sure how I was to do that, I had to help him and see to this trial as well. If I told anyone I wouldn’t be able to hide this secret any longer and I would lose the rest my family, trial be damned though, I wasn’t going to allow him to die. I will do whatever I could to help him, he was family after all.

J

“What do we do, we have to do something!!”

“What can we do, we have no idea where he is to do anything about it! We can’t even call anyone to help him!” I couldn’t stop screaming, my little brother was in danger and there was nothing I could do, this was the thing our mother had warned us about…oh no, mother!

“I never told our mother he was gone!! What do I tell her now?!! I told Lucifer that I told her but I couldn’t do it! What do I tell my parents?!!” Mammon held me tight as I tried to run in no particular direction, I just wanted to get to him, if I had looked for him weeks ago this wouldn’t be happening.

“Listen we need to calm down, getting upset without all of the information isn’t going to help anyone.” Beel held Satan who sobbed uncontrollably, sadness and uncertainty on his own face.

“Yeah Beel’s right, I mean we don’t got all the information anyway, and Kio’s hurt himself before and it isn’t like he can’t heal himself. Ya guys need to take a breath and get all the facts first.” Mammon was right, we only knew that Satan had yelled at him, we didn’t know what was said or why and if he even was going to harm himself. I crawled closer to my dear friend who was inconsolable, my own knees too weak to carry me and I caressed his face gently.

“Satan please, I need you to tell me what happened, I need to know how long you’ve been talking to him and what happened to cause such a fight.” He sniffled as he looked at me with bloodshot eyes full of pain.

“I started talking to him Tuesday… I had been calling once in a while but his DDD was usually off and that was the moment it actually went through and he answered. I never expected him to, but he did and we started talking again like he never left and it felt… so good to do so. We texted back and forth a few times too and again things seemed good. And tonight I called him like we agreed to…and as always we just talked like everything was fine, but nothing was fine between us…”

“Mammon, Beel can you give us a minute?” They stood and moved away so that Satan could hear what I had to say in private. I had been very tactless with this subject before and I had to do it right or it would never be right again.

“What exactly is between you?” He looked away, silent tears running down his cheeks.

“Nothing, not anymore…I guess he wanted to pretend it never happened and for a while it was okay with me but…I couldn’t pretend anymore…I love him…” I knew he was hurting, but I didn’t comfort him before because I felt it would make it worse. But knowing what I did and what I know now, I should have said something sooner.

“And so you told him this?”

“I poured my heart out, I laid it all bare and he rejected me again! He was the one that came onto me first, he was the one that said he loved me but when I return his feelings he pushed me away… and I got mad.” I was silent as Satan explained and it all fell together for me, Kio is having a very hard time accepting that he is not fitting in his own standard, he had tried to be the perfect son, brother and student most of his life. It was just like Laika had said, even if the whole world shouted their acceptance, if Kio didn’t accept himself it would never be okay.

“I know my brother…he isn’t the type to play games with people and he hates causing others pain, especially those he cares about. Satan, if something did happen between you two and then he turned you away, it wasn’t because of anything you did.” I ran my fingers into his hair, my heart twisting not only for the grief of possibly losing my little brother but for my friends’ anguish because I knew what it was like to love someone that turned me away. It cut like a knife and it was a sort of betrayal I would never wish on another.

“I thought...I did something wrong or he didn’t like me or-“ I covered his mouth with a finger and he met my eyes. Satan loved me once, I remember when he compared me to a good novel, he said that my looks was a like a pretty cover that added to the story. He cared about people’s hearts, he cared about their minds and if he had fallen for Kio then I know he wasn’t wrong to do so because he had the best there was.

“Kio had attacked me in the woods because I tried to out him, he…is having a hard time accepting himself and I’m sure you know that.”

“I gathered that much but I told him I didn’t care about that, if he wanted to be in secret I was fine but he still just shut me down. He said he had a girlfriend and that he wasn’t interested in me…” I felt like there was so much there he wasn’t telling me but he was vulnerable enough without me prying.

“I don’t know everything about his life and his emotions, he hasn’t allowed me close to his heart in years, but I know without shadow of a doubt that he does love you. He is just so broken and insecure…” I thought about what he said earlier about him hurting himself and I thought of the memories I had with him over the past eight years and I was filled with a fresh wave of grief. I wasted my time with him, I ruined his life and now it may be cut short.

“Jetèa I’m so sorry…”

“Satan…what did you say to him?” He began to breathe rapidly and pulled his knees into his chest.

“I told him I wish I never met him, I told him that he was a selfish bastard…I tol…I told him to kill himself…” He started to cry again and I only stared at him. So many hurtful and hateful things came to mind but then I remembered all of the times I had acted on that impulse. If my brother did something reckless tonight it wasn’t because Satan had said he was worthless, it was because I conditioned him to believe it.

“I was so damned angry at him, I just wanted him to hurt, I called him back a couple minutes later and he wouldn’t answer! And then…” He looked back at me with a pained expression and I stopped breathing.

“And then what?!”

“And then he turned the DDD off…” I pulled him over and hugged him, this was bad but we didn’t know everything.

“I know we’re demons…but we have to have faith; he’s stronger than we think, he may just be pissed and throwing a fit. But no matter what Satan, I don’t hate you and I’m not angry with you.” No, I couldn’t be angry with him, not when I contributed to it more than anyone. I was dizzy with grief but I had to be strong, we didn’t know everything and it was best if we kept it between the four of us for now. It seemed like just when things were becoming better they always came crashing down.

K

I opened my eyes and the first thing I felt was the pain in my wrists and the memory and emotions came flooding back. I had tried to kill myself…but I didn’t heal anything and I know I went deep, why didn’t I die? I looked around and found I was in bed and wearing new clothes. I tried to sit up and the pain made me regret it.

“I wouldn’t do that, you’re lucky you didn’t sever the tendons, you are very lucky all around.” Lucifer sat at the foot of the bed looking at me with a wry smirk, funny when you want him around he’s M.I.A. but when you want to be alone you can’t get rid of him.

“Well look, if it isn’t the knight in black gloves, you want to give the fair maiden a kiss for your trouble?” Okay sure I shouldn’t be a smart ass to the guy that saved my life but I wasn’t liking the fact that he ruined my death either.

“Good to see you’re feeling better then, now lay back down you need to rest.”

“What are you even doing here, I thought…?” That’s right, if I say anything about him being arrested or being out with the others he would know I had been contacting the others, not that it matters now.

“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me.” He looked at me with softer eyes and turned to face me completely, his clothes were completely wrinkled and stained with blood he must have been here for hours.

“Well I was tied up with the trial and spent a couple days in detention, it had nothing to do with you. I had full intention on coming back as I had promised and I apologize Kiomè, if I had maybe you wouldn’t have gotten to this point.” Wow, he really thinks I did this over him? They weren’t lying when they said he was arrogant.

“You really think I give a shit about you?! I could give a damn if you came back or not, you don’t make or break me, just get the fuck out!!” Yeah real classy Kio, curse the guy that saved you, damn I’m so useless. He moved closer to sit beside me, the direct opposite of what I said to do.

“I’m sorry, that seemed a bit conceited. I mean if you weren’t isolated and lonely...”

“Whatever…Don’t fucking touch me, what the hell is wrong with you?!” He tried to pet on me like I was a dog or some child, like he really cared! If he cared he would never have come back.

“Alright then indulge me, why did you do it?” I don’t have the emotional strength to recall what I was feeling in that moment. I just turned my head away, I couldn’t say a word.

“You were so lucky to be alive, the vessels you cut were veins, I’m guessing the Ulnar and Basilic. You went diagonally and thankfully as you went down the slashes became more shallow so you nicked but didn’t do drastic damage to the arteries.”

“Yippee…” I was being such an asshole, why? Part of me wanted to say thank you and yet all I could manage to feel was emptiness.

“I don’t think you really wanted to die Kiomè.”

“What are you a mind reader now or do you think I only wanted attention too?” Shit I didn’t mean to say that.

“I only say that because this isn’t the first time you’ve harmed yourself, you know anatomy because you need to know how to heal yourself when you are injured. So you know what vessels would have made you bleed out the fastest and yet you didn’t hit those.”

“Well maybe next time I’ll just go for the jugular.”

“Could you not speak like that?!!”

“What the hell do you want me to say?!! Do you want me to thank you, do you want me to say I owe you or something?!! Sorry I couldn’t kill myself right, is that what you want to hear?!! Well I’m sorry, I’m sorry I screwed up _yet again_ , I wasn’t exactly thinking of where the arteries were in the moment!!” He pulled me up and hugged me, I tried to fight him off but it hurt to even move my hands. He held me close to his chest and I felt such anger and then…so much pain…

“I just…want it to stop…I want the pain to stop…it fucking hurts…” He held me tight petting my hair and it reminded me of how my mother would do the same. My mother. What would she have said if she knew what I had done? She would slap me for sure for scaring her and then hold me just like this.

“What hurts?”

“Living, living with the fact that no matter how hard you try you can never be acceptable in your own eyes. Living with knowing that you are so much less than you want to be. Living with the knowledge that every mistake you make can cost someone their lives, that you put either fear or pity in their eyes or make them cry. Living with knowing that the people you love more than anything utterly hate you because of those things…living hurts.” And having something that finally makes you feel amazing but being too much of a coward to embrace it fully, hurting them in the process because you’re too much of a dunce to just come out and say it…yeah that hurts.

“I understand that, life does hurt, I have been around for several millennia so yeah I’ve been there. If you would like to know a secret, I don’t like how prideful I am.”

“Wait, run that by me again?” I heard the low laugh in his chest and I looked up at him.

“My pride has been the cause of more problems than I can count. It’s caused a rift between me and my brothers, it caused a whole war…and after a word with my father…it may have cost me my sister. It nearly cost me the love of my life and even now it’s put me in a situation where I fear I cannot easily relive myself. I don’t like the demon I have become most days but I have grown to accept it because pride is who I am. I am not saying that I am faultless but if I can take a piece from what your sister once told me: there is always more to a plant than its toxin.” He let me go and I sat there a swirl of so many negative emotions and no clear way to express them. Why would he try to relate to me, why now? Did he really not want me to die; I didn’t have the strength to talk about that.

“My sister and her damned plants…she loved the poisonous ones the most and I once told her that it was because she was just as toxic. Heh, she kicked my ass over that one.”

“She isn’t the same person anymore.”

“Of course she is, she has the same pain and same guilt she always had. The only thing that changed was the way she handled it…she felt like shit each time she beat me and always came back and did it again and that is why I cannot trust her.”

“I know you two have your differences, but she does love you and she misses you every day.” The shitty part was that I knew that too, I thought about that every day in this damn attic, he could have used that whip to kill me but she only set it to sting…I tried to kill her and she held back. That destroys me at night and I had several of them to think on it.

“That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t matter now, nothing does.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I need you to heal yourself.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’m serious.”

“And what will you do if I don’t; ground me to my room, kick me out of school or possibly hurt me?”

“Touché, but at the very least you should repair the tendons you damaged. If they heal on their own this way the scar tissue will disfigure them and your motor functions will be altered.”

“So?”

“You’ll never be able to play the guitar again.” Damn, he got me there, the only thing left in this world that kept me sane was the sweet scream of an electric, the rough melody of an acoustic…if my fingers couldn’t make them sing the songs I felt inside…then I may as well be dead.

“Fine…I guess…”

“If you can do that much I will bring you…Jaclyn, I think you called it?”

“No…I want Raven…I have plans for her.” I concentrated hard and focused on each of the cells splitting evenly and closing the gaps until the tendons in my hands were nearly seamless. I moved my fingers one at a time to test them and they were fine. I left the rest, I didn’t want to heal the rest, I want to remember this pain since it was the only thing that distracted me from what really hurt. 

“Good, I will do as I promised but I need you to eat something before I go and get it and you must replenish your fluids, I couldn’t get much of anything into you last night; you drifted in and out of consciousness so much-“

“Last night?! What time is it?” I took Satan’s call around eight fifteen and it went south by about eight forty five…if that was right then I had done this close to nine…

“It’s about three in the afternoon.”

“You’ve been here with me that long?!” He left to the bathroom and changed into some fresh clothes looking as though he didn’t spend the night covered in my blood and trying to keep me alive.

“I couldn’t leave you alone, not after that now could I?” It’s Saturday and the trial has been postponed temporarily so I will do my best to stay by your side until you’re better.”

“Don’t you have your own work to do, you can’t just put everything down for me, I’m not worth that!” I didn’t mean to say it that way, I didn’t mean to sound so pathetic but he only looked at me and sighed.

“If you are going to fuss about it then I will simply bring my work with me, but just so you know, you are worth that and more.”

“This isn’t right, you have a whole family to look after.” He chuckled like I shared an inside joke with him and he looked at me in a way I hadn’t seen since we first became friends.

“You are my family too, now hold tight Otòto, I shall return.” He called me little brother… He left again and I was once again alone with my thoughts, I thought on Sae’s words and how deeply they cut, I was far from feeling better about it all but I know enough after giving it some thought that it wasn’t his words that were as triggering as his tone. It was like he knew I had been thinking about doing just that for weeks, like he was giving confirmation that they would be better off without me.

I slid from the bed and looked to the floor where I thought I would breathe my last, the wood was scrubbed clean like it too was given a second chance. I looked around panicked for my DDD and out of the corner of my eye I saw a smear of blood just under the bed and I reached under to find it. He must have kicked it under as he ran to me not knowing. It was covered in my blood, the only reminder besides my wounds of what almost happened. I wiped it off as best I could and turned it back on, Sae had called me eight times before I turned it off and there were over thirty messages from him, Mammon, Beel and my sister afterwards. I remembered the photo I sent, the message that was supposed to be an apology now looked like a pathetic cry for help and attention. I didn’t bother to read them or call Satan back, he probably thought I was dead by now and at this point it was for the best. I seemed to be an expert at upsetting him and as my last favor I would never bother him again.

J

It took everything we had to put on brave faces and pretend we were having a good time the rest of the night and by the time we gave up on Lucifer returning and headed back home the four of us looked like we were having the time of our lives. Lucifer was locked in his study when we returned and we didn’t question it, he was always busy and by now I had taken this as a reprieve because I was finding it hard to hold the façade and went straight back to the dorms.

The following day was even harder, I went to the house to look for Lucifer and there was a strange and almost suffocating energy filling the whole house. It was like something was floating in the very air and everyone was trying hard to ignore it. I leaned into the doorway and I could see the worry on Beel and Mammon’s face as they ate their lunch in the living room; unbeknownst to the others there was a lot to be worried about. I didn’t go in to say hello to them because I didn’t want to talk about last night’s events, I didn’t want to think about what may or may not have happened to my brother. It was selfish, but until I could get a firm understanding of what was happening I couldn’t talk to them even though they were just as worried.

I passed the doorway and climbed the stairs and I found Satan in Kio’s bed staring at the ceiling. I knew he would spend time with my brothers things in his absence, I was told that he would even sleep in his bed some nights. I can understand that, I remember doing the same with my father’s shirts when he would leave for work for weeks, he just wanted to feel he was close by. I felt arms around my waist and a sweet perfume and I let out a silent sigh.

“Asmo, I-”

“Shh, little Rose, I think my brother is in need of a good old fashioned Asmo talk.” His voice was soft and a little sad, I wonder how the rest of them had felt with all of this chaos, maybe it was selfish to think I or even just Satan and I ere the only ones effected by my brother’s absence.

“I will go talk to him, you try to get Lucifer out of his study, he’s been in there all night and the door is locked.”

“Yeah, I came to see why he stood me up, I figure his paperwork kept him away all night long.”

“Nothing new, but how are you doing my sweet?” Did Asmo know? Or maybe he just assumes this foreboding and depressed mood is just from missing him.

“As okay as I can be.” He hugged me tight and then let me go.

“Go and get Lucifer, he will make it better, I will talk to this one here.” He pointed inside and I smiled; Asmo can be eccentric but he was the one who wore his heart on his sleeve the most it seemed. I turned and went back downstairs and to Lucifer’s study, he must have been busy all night to not return or return my calls but I didn’t hold it against him. He must have found more information on this case and in the very least we doing more research.

I knocked and the door fell open, I entered the empty room confused, maybe he had stepped out while I was upstairs?

“And to what do I owe such a pleasure as seeing you this afternoon Beloved?” Lucifer stood in the doorway with a sweet smile on his face and I quickly closed the gap to kiss him…instantly something felt amiss.

“Why do you smell like blood?”

“Blood? I don’t know what you mean, I haven’t been around any blood and I don’t smell anything.”

My father is a fox, of course my nose is nothing like Laika’s but my sense of smell is better than most humans, it’s another reason I surround myself with flowers.” I don’t know why but it wasn’t that I smelled blood on him but that I would smell blood on him today of all times. Did he go after Solomon after I told him about the threats he made?

“My love you are fretting over nothing, come to me I haven’t seen you all day.” That was the point, no one had, why is my mind going in circles? What does it matter if he had gotten blood on him for some reason? I wouldn’t have cared if I hadn’t thought my brother was dead in a ditch somewhere!

“Right there, how did this get on your sleeve?” It was a small spot on his coat sleeve, but it didn’t match the smell that I was getting, like he sat in a room full of it for hours… the smell was more…saturated.

“What this? It might have been from any of the times I had to punish Mammon for acting Boorish. I will have this dry cleaned, I’m sorry it distressed you.” He took it off and held it over his shoulder with softer eyes. I must be out of my mind right now, why was I sounding so accusing, exactly what was I accusing him of?

“I’m sorry Luci…I’m just a little out of sorts…how was your night?” He sighed and hung his coat on the rack in response.

“Tiring…very tiring, but I feel I had done well.”

“Did Diavolo have anything to say about any new information?” He pulled me close to him and rested his chin on my head as he rubbed my back.

“Nothing new thus far, but I made a large dent in the paperwork I had waiting for me. Speaking of which we will be having a meeting with Riley in just a few days and we will get this figured out. I feel like he is a major key in this situation and I for one am tired of this whole thing.” I wrapped my arms around him and listened to his heartbeat as he petted my hair.

“Good, me too, will you have time to spend with me today? I could really use your loving right now, we could even have a late lunch together.” I didn’t mean to sound so needy and vulnerable but I could feel myself breaking apart bit by bit, just needing something to keep me together.

“I…I’m so sorry my love, but I have other duties I must attend to today, but I shall see you tomorrow?” What about tonight? He left in the middle of our night out, been gone all morning and now he was blowing me off for the rest of today too?

“Well maybe I can hel-“

“No! This is my work to do and mine alone, we have had this talk before. If you would like to help me, you can reformat these documents into a single file and have them submitted to Satan so he can go over the budgets?” I felt so dismissed, or was I imagining that as well? I didn’t want to tell him what happened last night for fear he would only come down on Satan but I could only take so much. The only thing I could do was go back to old habits.

“Of course Lucifer, I shall get them completed as quickly as possible.” I smiled and he kissed my forehead.

“Thank you, now I must get back to work.” He didn’t even want me to sit with him, fine, I didn’t even give him a goodbye as I turned and left him. I could hear him call me back and I purposefully ignored him, I knew it may hurt him but if I didn’t use the ice queen I would surely break down and cry. I can’t have that, I have to be strong, so I have to shut all weakness down.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer has spent three days watching over Kio which is causing Tea to question his disappearances. She becomes anxious and emotional at the idea the Eliza may be facing the death penalty and has an outburst that gets her kicked out of the interview. It is at this point she begins to see the depths of Lucifer's lies.

Part 4 Chapter 10

S

I took a long hot shower in the communal bathroom, trying to wash away the emotions and words or last night. That night I had dreamt I was standing in front of Kio, he gave me that stupid blasé smile of his and it pissed me off, it pissed me off that he refused to love me when he was the one who came onto me! In anger I changed and swung at him with my claws and I thought I missed but as I looked at him standing in front of me I saw I hit my mark. Both his wrists were slashed and he stood there with a saddened smile.

“KIO NO!” I reached for him and he vanished from me, leaving only a pool of blood behind. That dream woke me up in a cold sweat and screaming his name. The very last message I had gotten from him was a picture of a large puddle of blood in the corner I could see where he had made the slashes in his wrists and the message that was supposed to say “You’re right, I’m sorry.” I thought of those poorly typed words as I stood under the scalding water and cried for what seemed like the hundredth time. No you knucklehead, I was wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG!! HOW COULD YOU HURT YOURELF THIS WAY, HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?!! How…could I have said such things knowing where his mind was? I never cried this much, not since my beginning, feelings of Lilith and this anger that drove everyone away…it just all sucked! Everyone thinks that just because I’m the avatar of wrath that I cannot feel anything else; that other feelings aren’t there too. Just because I’m always mad they think that I can only feel mad, so anger was the only thing I showed them…but my best friend knew better. He wasn’t fazed by my bad moods and even tried to provoke me at times. Most called him stupid, hell even I did after socking him several times over these months but he was showing me that he wasn’t afraid. He would take on my worst if he had to and remain loyal to me. But I showed him just how ugly my anger can get and now he was gone.

How do you tell someone you love them and then wish them dead minutes later? How do you say any of the things I did and expect them to believe that they were once important?

I got out and made my way to Kio’s room, I have no idea why I still come in here. One would think I were a masochist torturing myself this way but in truth this was the only way I was near him. His bed even still smelled like him and it sent a bittersweet ache in my chest. I do love you Kio, I do…I was just mad. I was just mad, I was _always_ mad, hell the only thing that ever changes with my anger is the date! If I didn’t get mad I wouldn’t have shoved him and broken his leg, if I didn’t get mad I could have talked to him before he pushed me away. If I didn’t get so damned mad…he would be alive…

He can’t be dead, he can’t, he can heal himself after all and I try to convince myself that he probably did. Maybe he’s throwing a fit and not speaking to me right now, I would do the same! But that message…it felt too real, too final…

“Knock, knock, well if it isn’t my darling brother Satan! And here I thought you had disappeared, I’m so glad I found you!” Asmo skipped inside and for some reason I felt another surge of rage, why? Was it because I wanted no one in his room but me? What right do I even have to be here?

“What is it Asmo?” I didn’t mean for my voice to sound so frail and he caught it too and faltered before sitting next to me. _You’ll mix your scent with his…get off!_ I wanted to scream, but I just stared at the ceiling.

“I came to check on you, how are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.”

“You are a lot of things brother but fine is not one of them. In fact, you look utterly heartbroken.” Heartbroken, it felt like a cannon ball went through my chest, heartbroken was an understatement.

“Why do you believe that?”

“Come on Satan we used to be the dynamic duo before you and Kio became close, we could tell each other everything.”

“No you just tell me everything, including thing’s I don’t want to hear.”

“Well you won’t want to hear this: you need to stop moping like a dejected princess and go look for him. Even you know he’s in love with you, you need to find him and make things right or you will never have peace.” It seemed everyone around me can tell me how much he loves me but him and it was making me sick.

“There is no point, he doesn’t want to be here and in any case I could care less where he is. He left us not the other way around; he doesn’t care about any of us.” He turned away from me and nodded as he swung a foot.

“True, he doesn’t care about just anybody, he has eyes for you. So it has to be you to seek him out.”

“Stop twisting my words Asmo! You think you know anything about the situation and you don’t! There is not and never was anything going on between us so stop making assumptions!”

“I know about love Satan and I know Kio a bit more than you think-“

“Why because you felt him up in the middle of a fucking department store?!! You think you know anything about him or the situation?!! You just need to insert yourself so you can feel good about your own miserable life?!!” Ugh…there I go again, reel it back before you drive him away too, he only wants to help in his twisted way. Oddly he didn’t seem offended but smiled.

“Actually yes that is why, because he may have liked what I was doing but his focus was on you not me. I bet any amount of grim that if it were you in my place he never would have stopped you that day. But I also know his attraction to you makes him feel ashamed, he told me in so little words that he was jealous of Venice that night we were trapped together.” I don’t get it, everyone swears he is infatuated with me and yet he turns me away every time, I don’t have the energy to even argue anymore, it was all just making me disgusted.

“So what, I don’t care, he could have been lying anyway; besides, I don’t want anything to do with him.” Asmo gave me a smirk and I knew I played myself into a trap.

“So you are lying in his bed because…?”

“I want to turn it into a second library, I am thinking of the design.” He stood and nearly pranced to Kio’s desk and tossed his lyric book onto my stomach.

“Then get reading, this one’s a best seller!”

“You read his notebook, what is wrong with you?”

“If he didn’t want it to be read, then it should have hid it. I did notice that the difference between the songs you sing for him and his other entries is simply what information he wants you to know. You know I love a good bit of gossip but that… well, turn to that night I spoke about, the night you two went out with Solomon for the first time.” I turned to the date and I saw his handwriting and I imagined his hand glide across the page as his thoughts flowed out of him. I had loved his writing from the beginning; it seemed like fate that my love of reading would be met with someone with a mind like his.

“I must be in hell to feel the way I do, like a starving child reaching for a Golden Delicious apple on a branch just out of reach. Look but never touch, crave but never taste love…but never hold. I look up at you every day as you glisten from the morning dew, the sun’s rays giving you a golden glow that outshines any fruit on the tree. Your beautiful emerald leaves capture my attention holding me as I feel the hunger pangs deepen. Some days I hope to climb the tree and brave my fears to feel your smooth silky skin in my hand and finally taste that forbidden fruit…” I felt my face redden and I cleared my throat, Asmo smiled ear to ear as he leaned against the desk.

“Most people would go for a red apple, but his metaphor is very strong, I think it’s safe to say he has a thing for blondes.” I ignored his wink and went back to the page.

“Today I had the courage to climb, I placed my shaking hands around the trunk and began upward, knowing that if I fall I will suffer greatly but I wanted so much to taste that fruit. Maybe even a taste isn’t what I needed more than to simply touch you. Let me feel you in my hands and know I have been acknowledged, if I make you mine after that then I would leave this world elated. I reached…slowly and timidly toward you, just a slight motion so you wouldn’t know my true intent but then as though someone had cut your stem you fell and into another’s hand you landed. That brazen overweight troll knew nothing of hunger, of longing or of patience! The ogre bit hungrily into your skin, tearing it away and spilling the sweet juice that I longed for, that was meant for me. All I could do was watch as you were devoured before my eyes and I took solace in a red one instead. Only this one tasted sour, inside I found a worm and I quickly dropped it to the ground. I rested my head on the branch as the beast walked away, my hunger deepening and my hope lost.” I stared at the page and I looked up at Asmo who grinned, he was deeply jealous that night, could that have been another reason why he was so upset? He didn’t want to see me with someone else and Celeste wasn’t a good replacement? That bit about her being sour did stroke my ego and especially the bit about him calling Venice an overweight troll. Was this why he grilled me about my own jealousy, was he desperate to know if I shared his feelings? It was the next day that I hurt him, the next day that he kissed me and the next day, after he expressed such longing for me did I realize I might feel the same. But all of that set off the events to last night and the memory of it struck me in the heart.

“Now tell me Satan, is it Kio’s soul the reason you want him so badly or is it just him?”

“His soul is him.”

“But what came first?”

“It was his soul. I found it really pretty and I loved the blend of attributes, the more time I spent with it the more attracted I became until I became so unlike myself I didn’t know what to do.”

“You have been unlike yourself since you took him under your wing, you never even listened to his type of music until you found out he was in a band. Then you began this whole band thing, you didn’t read for like a month until even he noticed and you two made time for it. But more than anything…” He leaned in close to me a smile on his face and he brushed back my hair.

“You stopped being so cold; it used to be you would only open up to me, then the longer you stayed with Kio the more I was chopped liver and he was your focus. I was jealous at first until I saw the way you looked at him and that night I covered for your little outing I saw the two of you cuddling in this very bed. Kio held you in his arms and though I’m sure he didn’t know it, I saw him ever so gently kiss the nape of your neck while he slept.” My heart pounded, I remembered the feeling of being against him so vividly but I couldn’t place it and neither could he…but now that I think of it Asmo was right. He held me in his arms while we were passed out drunk…he loved me back then.

“I imagine it wasn’t until you could stop staring into his soul that you remembered his smile and his laugh, you missed the way he felt and…even smelled. Like a deer entranced by headlights, you were so drawn in by his soul you didn’t realize you were falling for him until it was too late and when he kissed you all the emotions you had suppressed flooded your senses and you didn’t know what to do. So I do know what I am talking about Satan, I know you and I do see things in this house and I read his whole book.” But what good does it do now, he’s gone, there is nothing that knowing this can do but make me feel even worse!

“Why are you even telling me this? He’s gone, he’s never coming back so there is no point in dwelling on it!” He nodded toward the book and turned to leave.

“Until you are 100% sure there is always hope brother, 99% won’t do.” He left me alone with my thoughts and I had to admit he was right. I knew he hurt himself, but I didn’t know if he was gone, I just had to keep trying. But only now I was sure he wouldn’t talk to me even if he was alive but if I just knew _that_ he was alive I would be alright. That would be my mantra until this was figured out, 99% is not enough.

L

“I have to go to a meeting with Diavolo, I need you to assure me that you will be safe while I am gone.” I looked over to him as he plucked a tune on his guitar not paying me any mind. I plucked the chord from it to silence the instrument earning a hateful look.

“Kiomè do you hear me?!”

“I’m fine, just don’t put me in those stupid hexed oven mitts again they make my hands sweat.”

“Well I wouldn’t feel the need to if you hadn’t made that comment the last time I left!”

“It was a joke, geez, you should really get that rod in your ass looked at.”

“Saying you want to finish what you start so I wouldn’t have to come back is never a joke! Don’t ever joke about something like that!”

“Well if I can’t laugh at it then what am I supposed to do?!” I stared at him dumbfounded, it was obvious he needed help but I hadn’t the slightest idea how to help him. I spent the good part of three days with him and although he wasn’t as low as he had been the first day and a half, I knew that a mask of any form is nothing more than just that. I didn’t want to leave him but we had to have that interview with Riley and I cannot miss it! I knelt down and petted his hair and this time he allowed it.

“Promise me that you will be safe and alive when I return, do that and I will bring you ice cream.”

“Holy cow! I get to have ice cream!? Boy howdy can we sit and watch cartoons while we eat it together and maybe make shadow puppets until we fall asleep, because that will definitely make life worth living!”

“I swear to Sheol you are nothing but a smartass, would you take SOMETHING seriously for once?!!” I saw his eyes flicker and go dark at what I said and he sighed as he leaned back against the wall.

“I’ll be fine, just go.” His voice had gone flat and I wondered what it was I said to cause such a change but before I could ask my DDD began to ring, it was Tèa.

“Hello?”

“Luci, where are you, we are supposed to be at the mansion in five minutes and you are nowhere to be found! This will show very poorly on our part and it will make Diavolo look bad!” As the days passed I noticed my love becoming colder and more professional with me; in her defense I had brushed her off for three days to tend to her brother that I had hid from her for over a month and expected such treatment. If she found out why I neglected her, I fear things would get much worse.

“I am on my way Beloved, I shall be there shortly.”

“Where, from where are you leaving because you aren’t at the house and Diavolo hasn’t seen you either! You have been disappearing a lot lately and at a time like this it is not only reckless it is disrespectful! You make yourself look guilty sneaking around when you weren’t released more than three days ago! What exactly are you doing?!” It was like she had gone back to the icy woman I had known a year prior, her tone was cold and accusing and her words were sharp which made my predicament much more delicate.

“I have simply been taking my work to a more quiet place to focus on it Beloved, I am still in the house and I will be there in mere minutes I promise you. Please do not be cross with me, I know you are worried as am I but I am doing my best to ensure we are soon to get on with our lives.” She was quiet on the other end and I waited patiently for her to come to a conclusion.

“Just…get here quickly okay…?”

“I promise.” She hung up and I sighed heavily and grabbed my coat.

“Darn and here I was hoping you were finally going to tell your wife about us.” At least he’s back to normal.

“Don’t be cheeky.”

“Relax, you aren’t my type anyway, by a long shot.” I remembered the interaction he had with my brother in the woods and something pushed me to ask the question that burned from the beginning.

“Why were you leaving before, when I grabbed you, why did you run away again?” He visibly recoiled and looked away.

“What does it matter now? In the end I got away from everyone and you were the one to make it happen effectively. You should be proud.”

“No, in honesty I’m not, not of this. I think it may be time for it to come to an end. Do you want to come back?”

“You mean do I want to come downstairs?”

“I think you know what I mean, do you want to come back to your family, to us?” He turned and thought about it but shook his head.

“No, I don’t want to face any of them, I’m fine where I am.” This floored me, I would think that he would be itching for a chance to leave this place but he would choose to stay rather than go anywhere else?

“But-“

“She will be mad if you don’t hurry, and believe me, she can get nasty.” I sighed and turned towards the door I couldn’t imagine what was going through his head but the longer I kept him here the more I felt myself digging deeper into my own grave. Tèa will be furious when she finds out and I had to think of a way to smooth this matter over. It would have been simple if he chose to leave but he refused. I closed the door behind me but this time I left it unlocked and enabled the spell to let him open it if he ever chose to do so.

J

“Yes mother, everything is fine here. Kio…he’s busy with practice, you know how it is and we have another round of tests coming. Yes, I know but he always has been your Mr. Perfect he wants to protect his title. I will tell him, yes Mother, I love you too, sayonara.” Another tense conversation with my mother that always ended in me lying. I hated this, what will we do if he is gone and she finds out we had been lying all this time? She will not only disown me but she may just kill me! The guilt of it all was too much to bear let alone the grief I feel towards my baby brother. I keep thinking of that chubby faced toddler with the stubby fingers that always followed me around when we played our games. He didn’t deserve any of the torment he met with in his life and now it seemed he may never have the chance to know what happiness really was.

“It will be alright Jetèa, we don’t know anything for sure so until then we should have hope. If anything he may not have even hurt himself at all, or at the very least he came to his senses and healed himself and now he hates my guts.” Satan had seemed better since his talk with Asmo as few days ago, it seemed that whatever he said helped, I wish it would do the same for me.

“We can only hope right?” I spotted Lucifer walking towards us in the distance and I waved at him. I didn’t mean to sound so hateful on the phone, but I could not stand to risk losing him too, he knew better than this and it looked bad to disappear with no one to back up your story. With him just getting released it looks the most suspicious!

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, shall we go inside?” He took my hands in his and he smiled at me, I instantly felt my heart move and I didn’t ask the other questions that burned to come out. We went inside where Diavolo and the Archangels were already gathered and Riley came in shortly after. I sat next to my Fiancé who kept his eyes forward to the coming conversation his list of questions ready just in case, he seemed more prepared than even I was for this. Maybe he did just need a quiet place to do his work and study after all, I only wish he had told me sooner. I had been feeling like crumbling for the past couple of days now.

“Good evening Riley, as you know we have quite a few questions for you today regarding the incident with the files and your relationship with Azrael.”

“Sure, what else would you like to know?”

“You said that you went into the records room to take information?”

“Yes.”

“And that this was so Elizaveta could be framed for stealing such information correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well we checked the camera footage and didn’t see you there, did you use some type of magic item to cloak yourself?” Riley instantly went pale and I knew we were onto something.

“There were cameras…?” He trembled a little and Gabriel kept a soft and gentle tone as he spoke.

“Just tell us the truth Riley, what happened?” He shook as he stuttered and I felt afraid for him, what if he received threats from Solomon like we had?

“I…I was told to tell you guys that. Eliza, said that she was going to take the files she needed and that if anything happened I was to take the fall for it.”

“But why would she tell you that?”

“At first it was like, ‘if you love e you’ll stick up for me’ but soon it became threats on my life.”

“Wait, I’m not understanding, you’re saying the plot to frame Elizaveta was a lie?”

“No, no, Azi and I did do that but it was because of Eliza’s threats, not the revenge on the demon.”

“So if you really had nothing to do with the files then how did you get the key?”

“Eliza made a copy, she had to or else she couldn’t put the files back. She hid the key in my room afterwards and that was when Azi and I had enough to make our plan come together, I kept the story of me going in there because I was afraid of what she would do to me if she found out I said anything different.” So Eliza may have been behind everything all along…but it didn’t make sense.

“If you and Azrael had planned to frame Eliza and get her kicked out, what made her turn so evil? Why would she turn around to work for Eliza?” They all looked over to me and I watched Riley’s face as he thought about it.

“I dunno, by the time I was beginning to know anything I was on house arrest. Maybe Eliza caught wind of what we were doing and punished her by corrupting her?”

“We cannot get a correct verdict on ‘maybes’. Did Azrael ever have you touch anyone for any reason or did you se her do so to particular students she may not have known?”

“Nope, can’t say that I have, but Eliza is a touchy kind of person.” It was like he was throwing her under the bus! He didn’t have any sure information and he was saying these things for no reason.

“You do understand that the penalty she faces is death right? Maybe you should think more thoroughly about your answers Riley!” Again they looked at me and Riley scratched his head.

“Wow, that’s a lot of pressure but I don’t remember Azrael making me do or say anything I didn’t want to or seem strange. And I would remember if she hurt anyone.” Gabriel cleared his throat and Diavolo nodded at Lucifer who looked to me.

“I think it’s best if you step out Tèa.”

“What, no I have to see this!” He lifted me from my seat by my elbow and guided me outside where I snatched my arm out of his hand angrily.

“What is that about, why can’t I stay?!”

“You are getting too emotionally invested and if you say the wrong thing you risk tainting the whole process. I’m sorry my love you will have to stay back from it all.”

“Well of course I am, the girl could die, she isn’t much older than me she hadn’t done much with her life! What if we are wrong and she dies, what do we tell Solomon, the only relative he has left that’s worth anything has to die because we think she did this!? It isn’t fair to lose someone, it isn’t right to have no control as you watch your love one die!” I didn’t mean to unload like that, it was obvious that my emotions had more to do than just Eliza. Lucifer knelt and took my face in his hands with a warm smile.

“I know you are feeling a lot of guilt and pressure but you also know we are doing everything we can to see this is done properly. This will get handled and I will not rest until the correct perpetrator is punished alright?” he wiped my tears and kissed me and I felt myself crumple at his touch, I just wanted to cry in his arms and let it all out. But I didn’t want to worry him too, I didn’t want to load him with my baggage as well.

“I have to go back in, will you be alright?”

“Yes, can we go out to dinner tonight, maybe we can go to Ristorante Six and rekindle some memories?” I stoked his hair as something in his eyes darkened.

“I’m so sorry my love but I cannot, I have more work that needs done.” He stood and I made one last attempt.

“Then maybe I can come to your room, I could wear that robe you always like and the silk nightie?” I watched him as he laughed seductively before he sighed, then he blinked slowly as he took a breath and opened them again with a smile.

“Unfortunately Diavolo and I will be working on this project well into the night so I am not certain when I shall return. You need your rest, don’t wait up for me my love, but we shall go out together tomorrow.” He kissed my forehead and I felt like I had just been slapped in the face. _That is Lucifer’s tell, if he ever takes just an extra moment to take a breath close his eyes and apply a smile of any size what he is about to tell you is a lie._ As though he were taking a moment to psych himself to believe his own tale…

“Alright Luci…” He smiled at me again and turned to go back into the room, I stood there feeling myself sink deeper into my familiar icy shell, my safe place, this trial was horrible, my brother may be dead and my fiancé had just outright lied to my face about his whereabouts. I couldn’t take any more pain, I couldn’t let anyone else hurt me.

K

I thought he would never leave, I damn near had to bunk with him for nearly seventy-two hours and it was driving me insane. I just wanted to be alone to play and write, it kept me grounded and at the same time it tore open fresh wounds.

“A wounded raven lays upon the forest floor not making a sound, his blood warms him as it spills onto the cold ground. He knows he is soon to die and isn’t afraid, for in his final thoughts a wish had been made…” it wouldn’t make for a good song but the image of the dying black bird tore my heart apart. Ever since Sae had told me that the raven in his piece represented his heart, his black, frightening and misunderstood heart I couldn’t stop thinking of it. This was why I asked for Raven, it was only right I played on her, in a way Sae had given me his heart long before I knew he loved me and that was enough for me.

“My dying hope for all it’s worth, is to see the sun to a new day give birth, to feel the rays that flowers love and adore, to see the sky I had used to explore, the sun loves all and that’s why I cry, to feel loved before I die…” My DDD Began to ring and I berated myself for not turning it off. I looked to see Barbatos’ name on the screen, it was 5:01pm. I had forgotten about our appointment, in honesty I wasn’t expecting to be here long enough to see the day anyway and I ignored the call, what would he do anyway.

“Tardy.” Before I could register anything I was met with a very painful flick to the forehead.

“OWWW WHAT THE HELL??!!” Barbatos was kneeling in front of me, with a look of severe disapproval.

“How did you get in here, the door is locked and you literally just called!”

“Actually I waited until our session time would be over and then simply traveled back to the moment you chose to ignore my call, which I shouldn’t have had to make!” He flicked me again and I covered my forehead with a yell.

“Okay, okay take it easy I’m sorry!! What do you mean travel back are you some type of time traveler or something?”

“I can see into both past and future, my room has many doors and within them I can travel to either. But that is neither here or there, our session has begun late and you are to blame. He pulled up a chair and sat down as I stood, I suppose he really meant it when he said he had ways.

“I didn’t feel like talking.”

“Did you have a bad weekend?”

“If you can see the future and stuff I figure I wouldn’t have to answer that.”

“You sound irritated.”

“You flicked me twice in the forehead!!” He looked at me with steady eyes and I felt myself squirm, I’m already pissed and we just started!

“Tell me what happened to your wrists.”

“Why don’t you go take a look for yourself?”

“Even if I saw what happened it doesn’t mean I know your mindset at the time. I want to hear it from you.” I didn’t want to talk about it and now that he was sitting here I found the silence unbearable.

“I…hurt myself…” he watched me patiently, I knew he would want me to go into detail.

“I wanted to…die…so I slashed my wrists.”

“You had said before you were thinking of harming yourself constantly but always decided against it, what sparked your decision to do so and why make it so final?”

“I had a fight with Satan…it was no big deal.”

“Seems like a big deal if losing your life was a consolation.” Nope not liking this session at all.

“He…told me how he felt and I turned him down…he got mad and said some hurtful things. He even told me to…” I couldn’t finish it and when he looked up I made sure he knew I had no intention to.

“So is what he said to you, is that why you decided to end your life?”

“No, I mean it wasn’t like that, it wasn’t what he said…it was how he said it.”

“Could you explain that?”

“He was screaming at me at first and then he was so calm about it, like in that moment I mean nothing more than used gum to him. He was the only one that really saw all that was inside of me you know, he truly saw me and he cared about me. And I broke his heart…he sounded like the only thing that would make him feel better would be to die. He sounded like he believed it.”

“From the way you say it, you believed it more than he said he did. What were you feeling in that moment and the moments leading up to the action?”

“I felt like shit, I felt lower than dirt for hurting him that way, I felt…empty. And after that, after I made the decision to do it, I felt this waterfall of sadness rush over me…because it was the only option I had left, I was going to die and no one would know to mourn me or even care…and if that were the case I should never have been born.” He was silent as his eyes lifted from his notes and they softened as they rested on me.

“I for one am happy you are still here.” I lowered my eyes for a second; just a second and he flicked me a third time! How is he that fast?!

“I also told you that if you were ever in crisis you are to call me! I hope this will teach you to do so in the future.” I sat on the bed farther away from him rubbing my sore forehead trying not to cry.

“Now you said that Satan had told you about his feelings, how did that make you feel?”

“Why is that important?”

“Because believe it or not, everything you are telling me is going to help me figure out if you are likely to do this again.” I thought of Sae’s words and I felt my face burn and my heart twist.

“I loved it…I was overjoyed to hear him say that he wanted to be with me. But I hated myself for that exact reason.”

“Are you confused about your sexuality?” the blows these questions were giving me were making me dizzy.

“I…I don’t know…I think…I’m bisexual, but I mean I don’t know that for sure or anything!”

“You don’t have to be afraid of any judgment here, are you afraid that others will see you differently?”

“I’m afraid of what my parents will think, what will happen at school or even the rest of the guys downstairs for that matter…well except for Asmo, I’m sure he would want a threesome or something-anyway…I just don’t want to think about what could happen. And I just never saw myself this way, I didn’t wake up one morning and decide I wanted to be attracted to guys! When I look at myself i want to see someone who does everything right, I want to see someone who has their shit together and makes his parents proud not…this!” I wanted this subject changed so badly I was shaking but he only looked at me like he wanted me to say more.

“I didn’t want to be this way but apparently I fell for my best friend and Satan is a great person, don’t get me wrong. But he deserves to be loved openly; he is someone that should be boasted about, not hidden away in the shadows! And he…would actually do that just to be with me, if I can’t love him right I can’t love him at all. That’s why I turned him down, and he got upset with me and said those things.” Please…please change the subject because I’m feeling low all over again.

“Did you tell him this?” I froze, I was too afraid to say those things to him, I wanted to think I could just be friends and nothing would come up but Sae was feeling stronger than I had thought and I wasn’t ready for it.

“No I didn’t.”

“I think, if you decide to talk to him again, that you should tell him this so that you are both on the same page. I truly believe that situation wouldn’t have escalated if you had done that, but refraining from your true feelings is only disrespecting him as well as yourself.”

“Wow, I got actual advice, do you charge extra for that?”

“I will give an observation if I feel it is in your best interest but this is mainly for you to figure things out on your own. I can also tell that your childhood trauma, as well as the insecurities you carried along the way have possibly fed into the shame you feel. Is it possible that deep down after years of trying to prove you were ‘man enough’ that your attraction to the same sex made you feel that you were defeated in your war?” Holy hell… I had nothing to say about that. He turned in his chair and nodded as he saw my face.

“Why didn’t you heal the wounds?”

“I didn’t want to, the pain sort of grounds me, it reminds me I’m still here.”

“Alright, I think it’s time we start to go deeper now and do not worry, no one will be back for hours.”

“Deeper…oh joy…” Lucifer had better bring me ice cream after this bullshi


	11. That Sorcerer is Suspicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea and the brothers plot to figure out what Solomon is up to after another antagonizing message was left. At the Trial Riley's words stir up questions and a bit of controversy that raises the question of Eliza being guilty as once believed.

Part 4 chapter 11

L

“And so the real reason you and Azrael forged this scheme was because you feared for your life Riley?”

“Yes, she was quite ripper at first, but she started to get really mean and violent as time went on. I didn’t want to tell anyone that we did this because I was afraid, but I had no idea all of this other stuff would come up too.” I couldn’t help but feel that something was not right about this young man’s testimony, for starters it was completely different from the first, second and third testimony he gave about the incident. Of course everyone knew this and Gabriel was not letting him off easy.

“So you do realize that when you made your first statement the previous year you led others to believe that you had broken into the file room and not Miss Morozov? You took the entire blame for something you now claim you took no part in, do you understand how this looks?”

“Well yes, but I had no idea all of this would happen!”

“But you see because of your dishonesty you are completely discredited, why should we believe you now?” it was quiet as Riley thought of an answer.

“Yes tell us, why should we believe you now.” Reo leaned closer to the witness who looked up with a polite smile.

“Well I suppose you don’t have a reason to, but you saw I wasn’t there and Eliza was, or at least someone was. I can only tell you what I saw and you can do with it what you will.” I watched as the jury murmured at his words and I felt an odd sense of dread. How was it that this human could have so much involvement in this situation and yet have no viable information?!

“You were friends with Azrael correct?”

“Yes we were friends.”

“Were you good friends?”

“Yes, I believe I can say that.”

“Then why when you were interviewed the first time a month ago you didn’t know she was deceased? You asked how she was doing.”

“I wasn’t there when it all went down, I didn’t know.”

“Not even after she never returned?”

“I thought she was sent home!”

“And you never heard talk at school?”

“No, I didn’t, they don’t speak to me, no one speaks to me. I’m just a cruddy ole human after all.” Gabriel paced as he thought of his next words carefully.

“And yet, you are quite the social butterfly this year, how did that happen?”

“W...what?”

“If no one at the Academy spoke to you last year, why were they so keen to do so this year? What reason did they have to have anything to do with you?”

“Are you questioning my ability to make friends?”

“Answer the question little one.”

“Well I believe that is because I took it upon myself to make the initiative. I opened up and it made things better for me. I mean I don’t have classes here anymore but I do enjoy seeing my friends while I’m here.” The witches attorney stood and looked at Riley for a long moment as he cuffed his arms behind his back.

“You were good friends with Azrael, you said that right.”

“Yes I did, and yes we were.”

“Then …wouldn’t this whole situation make you hate demons instead of wanting to befriend them?” I heard the audience and the jury gasp and murmur.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean someone corrupted your friend and used her for evil purposes, then they took your girlfriend and locked her up and before it was all said and done the very Demon Lord killed her in front of an audience and then you were sent home like nothing had happened! Why, when you lost people that were close to you, would you still seek companionship with demons?”

“I don’t have any qualms with anybody; what happened was bad but there is nothing I can do to change it.” The man adjusted his glasses and smiled in response to his words.

“But you see, that is where I fear we differ, because we are still trying to discover just who it was that corrupted this poor thing and caused all this mayhem. If you have no qualms with anyone then it must mean you either know who it was or you did it yourself!” The crowd erupted and my father banged his gavel to quiet them.

“The Jury must disregard that statement, Mr Wanai, you are on thin ice!” The man smirked as he paced just a little. The very thought never crossed my mind, Riley was but a mere human and not a magical one either. He couldn’t have corrupted an angel…could he?

“Well…actually you are right…I did corrupt Azi, and I’m so ashamed!” More gasps and yelling. Diavolo and I looked at each other, his expression just as confused as mine.

“Elaborate little one, clearly so we may hear you.”

“Well we were studying one night and we had gotten onto the topic of demons and how we were to come here. I told her about Eliza and her own past and that she actually loved what they had to offer. But I disagreed. I told Azi that I would never be able to trust a race that acted so viciously towards another, I said that if my own family were taken from me then I could never trust a demon again, in fact I would be seeking revenge. It was how we came up with the cover for the plot you see and I think that was what started sinking her down…I think I corrupted her by coming up with that plan and bringing her down with me, I am a horrible person.” He made himself smaller in his seat and lowered his eyes, I could hear some of the viewer’s whispering their sympathy and confusion. Was it possible that something so minimal could have corrupted her? Is that all it takes to corrupt an angel? The answer is no, I had my own bias against demons while I was an angel and I have met with one disappointment after another. Simply telling a story isn’t something that would taint a being, not when there are much worse things that can happen in your own home.

“I didn’t mean to do it sir, I thought that if we could get Eliza Kicked out of school then I would be okay, but I didn’t know that she would do this, I mean she even told me how she wanted to help demons live a better life, she was never one to hurt somebody.” All of us perked up at that and the Witches Attorney didn’t miss a beat.

“And what did that entail?”

“She would go to the woods and talk to the lower-class demons, she told me about it once and said I should keep it secret. She wanted to help others as an angel would, so when I asked for her help, I knew she would. She was always a good person.”

“You said that the two of you talked a lot, when did she begin to change?”

“I would say a month after exams; she started talking about a ring and said she needed to get it.”

“Did she say what kind?”

“No, but she did say that with its power she would redeem them. That’s what she said.” This was getting us nothing but more questions we didn’t have answers to!

“So if I may summarize, you say that it was my client that took these files and replaced them when you once said you were the one to do so. Then you said that you and Azrael were good friends, in fact she was your only real friend by your description and yet you do not seem particularly grieved by her death or angry at anyone responsible. You speak of the angel as though she were a great person but you saw for yourself what she had done, she may have been corrupted but what she had done once that occurred is her own fault is it not?”

“Yes I can agree with that.”

“I do know that it takes much more than a petty scheme to corrupt an angel however, but when you look at the information you have given us, she would rendezvous with demons and it is very possible that they could have done something to her is that right?”

“It is possible.”

“So is it also possible that even if my client were guilty of stealing the student records, she had nothing against Azrael or the demons?”

“She never said she did.”

“Then can you also believe that these incidents are not linked to one another? Is it possible that this was a coincidence and someone else had set out to harm Azrael?” We were all silent as he seemed to think over the questions.

“I understand what you’re saying, and it is possible that they aren’t connected at all, but then why would a demon go after other demons? Why wipe out a whole race? Or at least destroy a bunch of them? It doesn’t make too much sense to me.” More whispering and I saw the witch’s face full of anger and sadness as she looked to Riley, he however, refused to look at her.

“I have no further questions your honor.”

“Diavolo do you have anything for the witness?”

“No your honor we have no questions.” Riley was excused and I felt odd, something about this was not coming together! The whole purpose for the investigation was to find who corrupted the angel, however if what the witches counsel said was true and the file theft and the corruptions were unrelated to the plan then what was this all about? Was the plan for our annihilation simply created by a tainted angels’ twisted ideal and nothing more? Was the theft of the files unrelated? How was it that something that was so cut and dry the year prior now seem so muddled? We were all excused for a recess and I thought of the testimony over and over again as I walked alongside Diavolo who was just as befuddled.

“This whole situation is getting more convoluted as the time goes.”

“You are not wrong there, I fear there is a key component we are missing here.”

“I know, if the security breach wasn’t connected to Azrael’s corruption then it could be easily said that Elizaveta had nothing to do with it.”

“That is even if we can prove that she had done the breech, someone is shape shifting to not be found out, and if one person can imitate me and Tèa, then who’s to say they didn’t happen other times?”

“But there are no demons in this area that can shape shift and certainly not any students, we only had the five newcomers last year and I doubt they could learn the spells to do so in that amount of time.”

“If that were the case their grades would have been much higher…” One thing struck my mind as I said that…

“Diavolo.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“The shape shifter is fluent in Latin, I could tell that from what Barbatos had shown us, we heard the words they spoke through his recordings.”

“Well that doesn’t help our case any, majority of our spells and hexes are in Latin, we teach it in school, hell Even Elizaveta is fluent. That puts us again at square one.” I stopped and sighed, there was something there, something I wasn’t seeing…

“Hello Lucifer.” I felt a tap on my back and I spun around. Riley stood before me holding a bagged lunch.

“Boy it was real wild in there wasn’t it, I just wanted to say that I hope I did well for the case.” He seemed so…chipper, did he not understand the seriousness of the situation?

“As long as you spoke the truth, you did well.”

“I rightly hope it all bodes alright. Why hasn’t Tèa come today, I thought she had interest in the trial as well.” I looked up to Diavolo who took that as his cue to leave us alone.

“She has chosen to stay home today, being that she had her studies to attend to, I agreed wholeheartedly.” In truth she was angry with me, it had been two weeks since she spoke out at Riley’s interview and she had been very distant ever since then. I cannot supervise her brother and keep her happy at the same time along with my other duties but something needed to be done before she drifts farther from me. I should tell her the truth about why I had been neglecting her lately and where her brother truly was. She would be happy that he was safe and close by wouldn’t she? I hadn’t any real clue.

“That’s too bad; I would have liked to talk to her.”

“Riley are you taking this matter in to the upmost severity? The penalty for the corruption of an angel is death, if you know something you are not telling us, you had better come to your senses now!” I wasn’t sure why I had blurted out like that, I suppose I was simply frustrated with his…demeanor. He looked at me with a kind smile and shrugged.

“I understand Lucifer, this is a very serious matter, but you see I learned a long time ago to not fret about things I cannot control. I said my peace and it is all that can be done. Whatever happens now is not up to me.” He began to walk past and for an instant I saw shadows in his brown eyes as he looked up at me.

“And besides if she is the cause of death for another, shouldn’t she deserve the punishment?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean if the allegations are correct and she is guilty, then she should be punished shouldn’t she? I would hate to see her die, but happened is just awful.” I stared at him in disbelief…his Australian accent…was gone when he made that previous statement!

“Well I must be off, got to eat lunch before we head back, nice talking to you.” Had I imagined it? No, I was certain his accent had changed, it was slight but I heard it. Something was definitely not right here.

J

“I’m telling you, Solomon is up to something and we are going to figure out what it is, we just need someone to help us.”

“Us, whaddya mean ‘us’? I am not tryin’ to get mixed up with him!”

“Yeah Tèa, you should leave him alone, we don’t need any more trouble around here.”

“I don’t see why you two are being such babies about it, if someone put a dead rat in my locker I wouldn’t hesitate to curse him until the next millennia.”

“Belphie is right, out of all of us I don’t see why you two are the most against it, I thought you would fight Rose’s honor.” We all sat around the table in the council hall, this morning I found a large dead rat in my locker with the words Fake friend written in its blood and I called an emergency meeting. I knew this was Solomon’s work and I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. Satan was the only one who sat quietly, he was quiet a lot lately, but then the four of us who knew of that night were too for that matter.

“As much as it puts me in serious pain to do so, I have to agree with Mammon. And Beel is right, there is no reason to kick up more trouble with everything up in the air right now. It isn’t wise.”

“The fact of the matter is that Solomon is singling us out; we cannot forget that his ring is tied into this somehow and if he wasn’t here then he had to have some part in this!”

“Some part in what, I mean literally everythin’ points to the witch; I don’t see why this is bein’ dragged out like it is!”

I think it’s because new details are being found, it’s possible that the security breech and the incident with the infected aren’t even related anymore.”

“Even if it isn’t, someone shape shifted into Lucifer to get those files, what other reason would they need?”

“Connected, not connected it all points to her, what’s the difference? It’s all jus dumb!”

“Because, idiot, if they only prove she stole the files then she will get time served, but if they prove she corrupted Azrael and made this whole demon massacre plan then that is a death sentence.” Belphie lowered his head with an exasperated sigh.

“That’s a big difference!” Mammon’s eyes widened at the realization.

“Not to mention if she is put to death and there is evidence that she was not involved it will put a rift between the demons and the witches council. This is also a big political standoff; no one can afford to be mistaken, that is why this has gone on so long with everything still pointing at her.” No to mention that things just don’t seem to add up, was it Eliza that shape shifted or was it someone else, we had watched the footage for hours and she didn’t come out again, but it was also possible that the person simply shifted to someone else.

“That reminds me, why didn’t you go to the trial today Tèa, usually you give us the good details when you get back.” I wish I was at today’s proceedings now, but I was not about to sit by him after he lied to me the way he did. He had also been missing for hours at a time, he was definitely hiding something and I wasn’t about to let him make my already shaky feelings worse.

“I had work to catch up on, I couldn’t miss another day. And besides… I’m not feeling too well right now.” I saw the looks in Mammon, Beel and Satan and left the matter at that.

“I happened to have noticed a little trouble in paradise Rose, you have been awfully cold towards Lucifer lately.”

“Yeah I noticed that too, and he’s been shut away somewhere every moment he isn’t with Diavolo, don’t get me wrong, not seein’ him is nice. But it’s…weird, not seein’ the two of ya together.”

“Ditto.”

“What is going on?” They looked at me concerned and I took a breath, they were the first six friends I have ever made, I could never lie to them.

“I don’t know, he keeps turning me down when I want to spend time with him, he’s going off in secret places, lying about what he’s doing. I…” I felt my voice wavering as I looked up to six sets of patient eyes.

“Do you think he’s cheating on me?” I wish I could say that they reassured me kindly but they all simply laughed like I told a gut buster of a joke.

“Lucifer, cheating on you?!”

“Like he has the time for that!”

“He’s lucky he has one woman that tolerates him!”

“Not wit the personality he’s got!” when they wheezed their last I breathed a sigh of relief. If it wasn’t that then what was going on?!

“I assumed he’s just been working as usual.”

“I think bein’ locked up changed him too. He ain’t as…mean as he was before then.”

“I don’t know, but it really isn’t that Tèa.”

“And if he messes up, we’ll teach him a lesson!” I smiled at them, they always knew what to say.

“Now what do we do about Solomon? What does he have planned and what can we uncover?”

“Okay, so hear me out, what if we sneak into his room and trash the place in retaliation and put that dead rat where it belongs!”

“Idiot, if we did that he would know exactly who had done it!”

“Wait a minute, that actually sounds like a good idea.” Satan had a mind like a steel trap, his intelligence was what made him his own person and he took pride in it. So when he had an idea…

“What are you talking about?”

“We go looking for clues in his room, a few of you will be lookouts, we will scour the place for anything that will tie him into last years’ incident under the guise of some prank.”

“So if he comes home and finds the place trashed…”

“He will assume it is just payback, not an ulterior motive.”

“Yeah I think I should have a few words wit him for good measure.”

“Good, yes do that, no one would believe you were smart enough to come up with an elaborate plan on your own. If he shows up, you, Beel and Levi have your words with him in the hall and the rest of us will sneak out the back.

“Wait why do I have to confront him?!!”

“Because I said so, and you wouldn’t know what to look for, I know what you made on your last exams.” Levi grumbled his usual ‘it’s not fair’ and crossed his arms.

“Alright, I say we go guys.” We ran to Purgatory Hall and made our way to the back entrance. Mammon jiggled the doors feverishly but to no avail.

“Damn the door’s locked.”

“Well what do we do?”

“You can’t tamper with the locks, Purgatory Hall has a curse on all the doors, it keep you from destroying the place.”

“Well that’s weird, we don’t have that at our house.”

“Because we have Lucifer, that’s enough of a curse.”

“Okay guys focus, how can we get in?” I stood back and thought it over, the back door was locked and we cannot simply go in the front door…unless…

“Satan, Asmo and I are going to try our luck with the front, you guys wait here. If we get in, well open a window. But if he’s inside then we will just make it seem I want to confront him about his threat.” We walked casually to the front entrance and just inside the foyer was someone had just come down the stairs looking mildly frustrated.

“Oh Simeon, why aren’t you in class?” Satan greeted him like they see each other often, but as I looked to the angel with who had kind eyes and a smile it took a moment to remember just who he was.

“I suppose I could ask the very same for the three of you, I haven’t seen you over here in over a week Asmo, I was wondering if you and Solomon were no longer speaking.” We looked to Asmo who simply shrugged.

“I have a pact with Solomon and we are close friends.”

“How close is close?”

“Are you guys here for Solomon?” I nearly choked as I tried to think of an answer.

“Sol asked me to pick up his notebook for him, he said he left it in his room.” Asmo just rattled it off without skipping a single beat.

“Oh well I suppose that works because he didn’t tell me where it was or what notebook he was talking about. Well good luck to you.” He turned to leave, and I grabbed his hand, this was the angel that saved my loves life I had to say something.

“Simeon, I never got to thank you for what you’ve done, I am in your debt.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Lucy and I go way back and I would do it again. In honesty I am glad you asked, Michael would rather I ignore him.”

“He would really rather he die?!”

“Father is about his loyalty, if you are disloyal you are cut off, period. Helping those seen as disloyal…it treads a line. I was forbidden from doing something like that again, I just hope it never comes to that.” How could he forbid someone from giving aid, isn’t that the very things that angels are known for?!

“Reo has got to be the most self-absorbed person I have ever met, and I know Asmo!”

“Please no one can love themselves like I can, I am the most lovable being in the universe.” Point proven.

“Don’t misunderstand Father, he is kind and charitable, he can love another in ways you have never known. But he is all about his loyalty and his rules. If you break those, then he is a different person entirely, I am surprised you would say such a thing when he has taken a liking to you like he has.”

“Me?”

“Yes, he has said that you are not only open minded, but you are intelligent and compassionate. You have your flaws but he has said that you are a very…unique demon. And a good fit for Lucifer.”

“I don’t trust anything he says, he spouts nothing but toxicity!” Satan was obviously still upset about what had happened between them, in honesty I was too.

“He believes you are the cause of the war, he feels you tore apart our family, I cannot say it excuses anything he may have said to hurt your feelings, but I know father, even in the things he despises he will always find something positive. But I will not hold you, I know Solomon needs his notebook.” He stepped aside and went about his way and we walked cautiously up the stairs.

“Asmo, how did you know about his notebook?”

“He texted me on the way here, he said Simeon was having trouble finding it and I know what it looks like.”

“And you couldn’t have said that bit before?!”

“Relax Satan, it was always going to be a backup, you and Rose looked cute as you were thinking of a plan I didn’t want to spoil the fun.” Looked at us both knowingly and I wondered just what he was implying, regardless of that we had to look for clues. I opened the window and shouted down to the others to sit tight and we would find something for them to climb in a minute.

“I am going to check his bedroom, you guys look around here.” I stepped into his bedroom and spotted a bookshelf and began to skim the titles. I pulled out a book of regular magic spells and a notebook fell out of it. I looked into it to see spells about controlling demons and demonic possessions. I read more into it and I saw that with some of these spells one could control demons they were in pacts with even from long distances… this may just be what we were looking for!

“Hey guys, I found something! This notebook is full of spells for demonic control even from far away. Doesn’t that seem awfully suspicious to you?” Satan thumbed through it with a concerned expression.

“Highly, we should take this to Diavolo as soon as they get back.”

“Good, let’s keep looking, I still need to get that notebook, luckily that one isn’t it.” I tossed the notebook down to the others and we continued looking through books and in his desk.

“Rose, while the three of us are together, might I ask you a…intimate question?” I froze for a moment as I looked over to the sweet smile only Asmo could give.

“Most questions you ask are intimate Asmo, why are you asking to say this one?”

“Don’t listen to him, he’s babbling, let’s keep looking before he comes back.”

“Do you hold any resentment for your brother for what he’s done?” I hadn’t said a word about Kio in two weeks, in fact I was trying so hard not to think of him I nearly drove myself insane. That night played back in my head along with the last time I saw his face; it haunted me to think he may be gone…to know I’ll never say I’m sorry.

“No, it was my fault, I shouldn’t have pushed him and stuck my nose where it didn’t belong. I’m not angry with him at all, in fact I wish I could tell him so many things.”

“Then why aren’t you and Satan out looking for him, you two mean the world to him and you’re sitting idle while he probably sinks deeper into sadness.”

“And how would you know that we are his favorite people?”

“Because this isn’t the first time my brother has snooped around in someone else’s room He read his journal.”

“But Satan, you read it too, you couldn’t put it down until you finished it.” I saw Satan’s face redden before he hid his face to look in a closet.

“Then you know how he really feels, he does care about you.”

“It goes both ways…Kio may have been very guarded but he loved… _loves_ you Jetèa, he always did. He always felt he had to take it upon himself to make others stop hurting, being anything from a devoted son to a top student to a punching bag…he cares about people…but who showed him that same devotion? It certainly wasn’t us…it certainly wasn’t me. I could tell from his words that he loved you deeply and that love only made his anger and sadness deeper because he couldn’t understand why it wasn’t returned…his heart…is so dark and yet he wants so desperately to be in the light…just as I saw in his soul. But despite it all, he loves his older sister more than anything.” I sat there silently as tears fell from my eyes, I was terrified to read anything other than what was recent. I didn’t want to know what he truly felt because I was so sure it was hate; to know he loved me only hurt me more in a bittersweet way.

“Asmo, to answer your question, we just felt he needed space. I didn’t want to repeat what had done last time, I believe he will come back on his own terms in his own time.” If he ever came back at all that is.

“Guys, look at this!” Satan pulled out a black leather book and once he opened it we saw immediately that it was another Grimiore. We opened the marked page and we found the spell needed for taking a demon under complete submission…and how to destroy them.

“Oh my word…”

“We need to get this to Diavolo now!” Satan took pictures with his DDD and began to write a message.

“Maybe if I could rely on anyone around here I wouldn’t have to come all the way back here!” Oh no…it was Solomon!

“Quick you two out the window, hurry!” Asmo stood and grabbed a notebook from under his pillow as we dove out of the window and clung to the window sill listening as the door burst open.

“Asmo! I didn’t know you had even gotten my text.”

“Oh Sol you know I’m always going to come your rescue, I have your notebook right here.”

“Oh, thanks, I really need the notes I had written for Alchemy class, we have a quiz coming and I need to study.”

“Alchemy, that is a tough course to take.”

“Yes, we are studying transfiguration but I know I’ll ace that section, it’s the other sections I’m worried about.” I looked over to Satan who nodded in agreement.

“Transfiguration…like shape shifting?”

“Something like that, but it’s much more complicated. Come on, we can study it together I have to get back to the library.” I heard them both leave and we let go to land on the ground below.

“Oi, what happened to lettin’ us u-“

“Be quiet!” I covered his mouth until we saw that the two of them were long gone.

“What is going on?”

“This…is really big, I think we just found a crack in the case.”


	12. A foretelling dream and an unusual ringing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solomon has been locked away for his contraband but it does not bring the relief the group thought it would. Beel tells Tea of a dream he had that prompts her to try to contact her brother, which stirs up a load of trouble.

Part 4 Chapter 12

K

“I told you before, I don’t have a problem with my father, if anything I just can’t stand how much I disappoint him.”

“Has he told you that you’ve done so?”

“Well no…I just see it in his eyes, I can feel the fear he has when he’s around me. No parent should be afraid of their own child; I know he wishes I disappeared or was never born.” Here we were at another one of Barbatos’ famous three hour sessions of torture. I laid on the bed tossing a ball toward the ceiling while he took his notes, I know his tactic by now, he asks me these superficial questions that lead to deeper things that tear open old wounds, I hated when he did that, but he is able to help me pick everything apart so I can understand it all.

“Tell me when the disappointment started, what happened that made everything change between you two?” And there it was.

“I was about thirteen in the summer, I was practicing with Yori and that was around the time I realized I was having feelings for him. It didn’t hit me like it did with Satan, I just thought best friends felt that way, it wasn’t as…intense or as sure as this is.” I had grew feelings for Yori gradually, placed him on a pedestal and doted on him in a way. But Satan…everything he does makes my stomach flutter, even when we would argue he made my senses do wild.

“Anyway we had just finished practice and he was all sweaty, I wasn’t thinking and I wiped his face with my towel, sort of like my mother would me…or like someone would a significant other. He laughed and called me a freak, he always called me a freak even before we were friends but this one had a bit of a sting to it. I laughed it off and made jokes but it hurt…a lot. When I got home I guess Tèa was having her own bad day because she slammed me into the wall and threatened me, which was pretty tame considering.” I thought back on that day, I felt so shitty…

“Go on.”

“I just wanted to be alone, I was feeling low and I wanted to be someplace alone. I went to the kitchen to get a drink first and my baby sister came to talk to me, I never had an issue with Lai, we were two peas in a pod really. But that day she brought up Yori, apparently she knew what I was feeling for him and was trying to talk about it. I denied such a thing, I couldn’t like another guy, what was I a freak; we were just friends and for me they were hard to come by. She didn’t let it go, even after I said I was into girls she didn’t let it go and in my head I heard Yori’s laugh. I went off on her, I threw the glass and I remember screaming at her and Father came in trying to keep me separated from her he was yelling at me to calm down but I just kept climbing higher. I changed and I turned on him he didn’t fight me back because he didn’t want to hurt me and I got him with my claws and I bit him, it happened in a flash…I didn’t even know what I had done until I saw his blood soaking his shirt…I haven’t been able to look him in the eye since.”

“Has he approached you since?”

“He has, but I won’t let him get too close.”

“From our previous sessions I can tell that there are deeper problems than that incident. You had said once that you aspire to be like your father but never can be, tell me why.”

“I mean…he’s super smart but I can never make the perfect scores he did in high school, the girls loved him but they ignore me. I have none of his abilities, hell I can’t even keep a cactus alive!! And even though he seems soft spoken he’s so cutthroat and I’m not ruthless at all. He even looks…almost pretty but he carries such a masculinity that no one dares to challenge it.”

“Do you really think that?”

“It’s what I’ve observed in the past seventeen years and six months of my life.”

“But you haven’t been there all his life. Is it safe to say that you are trying to model yourself after a significant male role model but you in truth didn’t even know what doing so entails?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You wanted to be like your father, you wanted to be more of a man like he is right?”

“Yeah…”

“What is your definition of a man?” I stopped tossing the ball and thought hard.

“Someone tough, someone who doesn’t show weakness, someone who has everything together and someone who doesn’t cry and bitch all the time; that is what a man is.”

“You haven’t described anything to me, you gave me characteristics of general people, but what is a _man_?” I didn’t have a clear answer, when I think of a man I think of those things.

“The definition of a man Kio is simply being an adult male, do you fit that definition?”

“I suppose that depends on what country you’re in…but in Devildom….I guess so.”

“And you didn’t need to do anything to achieve it but live.” He did it again, made me see something from another perspective I didn’t know existed. I had no idea how to respond to that, I was sure I had the right idea all this time, it’s what I hear others at my old school talk about…

“I believe this shame you feel that you don’t meet your father’s standard is unfounded. If he hasn’t treated you with unkindness before or since then it is safe to say that he would embrace you if you approached him.”

“But what if…he doesn’t like the…real me?”

“You will have to ask yourself, do I want to live a lie? Do I want to continue to live my life pleasing others when I don’t even know what it is they want?”

“How do I know what’s truth and lies anymore, I still have no idea who I am, hell it would be easier if I was a sin and then I could chalk a lot of my bullshit up to that.” He stopped scribbling and looked at me closely

“Yes…I think you’re right. Do you know what sin you are?”

“Uhh…I don’t know, I mean wrath is taken, believe me he’s better at it and I can’t see myself as any of the others.

“Because you aren’t any of them…if I were to call you a sin, I would say you are the avatar of denial.” I sat up to make sure I heard him correctly.

“Denial isn’t a sin.”

“Is it not? In many wars of the human realm they would deny the massacres of their fellow man, deny the severity of their situation and have their afternoon tea while the ashes of the dead filled the sky. Soldiers deny the opposing country is a form of human and murder them with prejudice. Parents deny their responsibility and their children die as a result tell me how denial isn’t a sin?”

“Okay geez, I didn’t think you would get that dark. How would I be the ‘avatar of denial?’ anyway?”

“You deny your sexuality, you deny your name, you deny your own emotions and you deny having any worth. The way I hear you say that you are half-demon in the same way a child says their glass is half empty tells me that you even deny your bloodline. You do not fit into the cookie cutter you created for yourself and so you deny yourself. You are focused on everyone’s opinion of you trying to mold yourself into what you feel they want to see and in doing so you forget who you even are. You are so angry because you want them to be satisfied with what you are doing for their favor when in reality they never will, because they don’t know who you were to begin with. You don’t even know that.” I feel like he reached in and pulled me out like an inside out shirt.

“Wow…I guess I’m in denial…” I didn’t even have a smart ass come back for him either, now I know he got me.

“Read me the letter you wrote yourself.” I balked, he hadn’t said anything about it in weeks and now he wants it?? I went to the notebook on the nightstand and began to read.

“Hey, I know things are not great right now, and I know it isn’t fair. But sometimes people are dealt a bad hand and you have to be strong-“

“Stop there, that’s horrible and it proves my point.” He flicked me in the forehead, I was really hating this!

“What the hell, you said to write a letter to myself!”

“This is nothing more than you continuing to deny yourself, if you were that eleven year old boy on that day right now and someone told you that life is unfair just be strong would you find any comfort in that? Would you get any strength?”

“I…guess not.”

“Think back to the moment before you tried to take your life, if someone said those words to you would it have made you reconsider?” He had to go there didn’t he?

“Well?!”

“NO, IT WOULDN’T, IT WOULD PISS ME OFF AND I WOULD PROBABLY DO IT OUT OF SPITE!!”

“Why?”

“Because…” I looked at the words I had written, they seemed good at the time but,

“Because they aren’t anything personal, the person that wrote this, doesn’t care about me, about my pain or about my life. These words…are vague and emotionless I could be talking to a stranger on the street not…myself. I can paint a picture with my words when I’m writing a song or about someone else…but when it comes to me, I could care less. I am denying myself.” I felt the tears fall at the realization, why would I tell myself that it gets better when it doesn’t? Why would I say to suck it up when that had never worked before, the pain never went away and it only ever got worse. I could say things to anyone else and they would say how kind and wise I was but I didn’t give a shit about me.

“I hate myself…and I don’t even know who I am…how can I expect anyone to care about my pain when I don’t either? I would rather pretend it wasn’t there…I would rather be something else entirely, something that wasn’t in this much pain...You’re right, I am in complete denial.” I had once told Sae that he should own his past, accept his birth for what it was and himself with it, and I never even considered it for myself, I was repulsed at the very thought.

“And that Kiomè is what I call a breakthrough.” He handed me a tissue and petted my hair and I didn’t protest for once. He took the notebook from my hand and turned to a fresh page.

“Now, for your homework, I want you to try it again, and this time Kiomè I want you to try to accept something about yourself, it can be anything you choose. But accept something and then write that letter.”

“That’s why you’re using my whole name…you want me to start accepting myself.”

“Good, you caught on. I will see you Monday, and if you are ever in crisis-“

“Call you, I know…” He teleported and I sat alone in the empty attic with this blank sheet of paper and I felt just as hollow.

J

“So you know they took Solomon in for detainment this morning, the whole school is talking about it!”

“Yes I heard, it seems that the information we found was enough to make them wonder about his involvement.”

“But whatever he said during questioning had to set them off because they didn’t believe us at first.”

“Look I still don’t get this, if Solomon wasn’t here, how did he do any of that stuff anyway?”

“We aren’t saying he was there, but at the very least he could have taught Eliza to shape shift.”

“But if he was doing able to shape shift, it’s possible he was here all along.”

“But as who? It’s not like the school just allows anyone to walk onto the grounds, he had to have been a student at the time.”

“But he could have been anyone enrolled and if he controlled them, then they wouldn’t remember anything anyway! It’s like that one anime-”

“We are getting ahead of ourselves fellas, we aren’t going to assume Solomon was involved, but they do believe that with the threats he made and the literature he had, it is possible he was planning to harm someone.”

“Jetèa is right, if anything that was the real reason they took him.” I wasn’t sure if this was a victory or not, somehow I expected to unearth a lot of information that would solve this situation with a nice neat bow…this only made a big knot. I looked to each of their faces and I could tell they felt the same.

“I don’t know guys…I thought this would be a good thing, but don’t you feel like everyone has their eyes on us?” Levi squirmed and hugged himself tight.

“I’m used to having eyes on me, one of the many burdens to being this gorgeous.”

“No, I think Levi has a point, I went to the vending machine and I could feel other demons glaring at me.”

“Probably because you were eating everything in it.” Suddenly some red haired girl ran up to Satan and grabbed his arm with a smirk.

“Satan, long time no see cutie, you never called me back or had time to talk to me.” She rubbed on his arm but he did not seem interested in what she was saying.

“I had nothing to say, you and your friend used us.”

“But Satan you know I really like you, no one kisses like you can…” she was definitely flirting and he wasn’t biting.

“Should we go?”

“No, it’s fine.” Before he could say anything else another girl strolled up and pulled her by the arm.

“What do you think you’re doing Venice? Don’t you know not to mess with the student council?” The girl smiled as she looked at Satan and backed off with venom in her words.

“You’re right, he might have me locked up next, better be careful.” She brushed his cheek with her hand and sneered. It was a mind game, good thing he wasn’t interested in her. The two laughed as they walked away and I saw the familiar look of wrath in Satan’s eyes.

“They used me for a damn joke, I should pull her claws out one by one!”

“Easy bro, she ain’t worth it.”

“Yeah, it’s no secret the school thinks were a bunch of snitches.”

“Solomon has a bit of pull here too, he does have like a hundred pacts almost.”

“So we uncover something shady about him and we are the bad guys?!”

“Even the shady ones have stans.”

“Let’s just get back to class, at least there I’m not getting ugly looks.”

“You get used to them I promise.” Of all people Riley chooses to come and talk to us as though he were in on the conversation from the start. He put a kind hand on Satan’s Shoulder and smiled.

“Don’t let them get to you, Venice is a bit of a bitch but I hear she is just upset she didn’t make a better impression on you.” Satan shook him off hatefully.

“You don’t know anything about me!”

“What are ya even doin’ here Riley?” He looked directly at me and something in his eyes pulled at me.

“Why I’m here because something Tèa said, someone shouldn’t die on a hunch or a guess. A Life shouldn’t hang in the balance because of someone…else’s mistake.” He was directing his remark at me, I could feel it.

“Do you think a mistake was made Riley?”

“I just want to know your take in everything, there are always rumors but do you think that the two of them are guilty?”

“Everyone is guilty of something Riley; I think the real question is what are they guilty of.”

“You know what, that is very wise.” He came closer to me and I saw Mammon block him with his arm which Riley took as though he was blocking a blow.

“Ya got a problem?!”

“None, I just came for advice is all, why is everyone so hostile towards me, I can’t hurt any of you.” Everyone backed up a little bit, even I forget Riley is just a human.

“I know that no one likes me, I’m sorry I bothered you.” I grabbed Riley’s arm and he turned with sad brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, it’s just with everything…we’ve been on edge and it seems the other students don’t like our methods. It was no excuse to be rude, so please forgive us.” I looked to the guys and they nodded.

“Good, I do need some advice though, if it isn’t any trouble.”

“Sure.” He looked me in the eyes and I saw such friendliness as he smiled.

“I have a bad feeling that this trial is just a circus to make Eliza suffer, I feel as though I sealed her fate but…I don’t think she corrupted Azrael. I truly think my story did it… I don’t know what to do. I feel awful.” Lucifer had told me what Riley had said on the stand, I wish that Azrael was here, and then maybe we could know what it was that made her heart so dark.

“If there is anything else you know Riley please let us know, and don’t beat yourself up okay?”

“Okay…sure, Oh Asmo…I love that brooch, is it new?” Riley taped Asmo’s chest and gasped in awe.

“Why, yes it is! See at least someone noticed!”

“I should go, I’ll see you all later.” He left and we all stood by uncertain.

“What a weird human.”

“No, he’s just weird in general.”

“At this point guys we have done all we can, we just have to wait and see what happens.” I didn’t want it to sound so final… this was a person’s life at stake.

“That’s true, once they go over Solomon’s belongings and records they will find out if he’s had any contact with her last year, depending on what they find it will make or break her.”

“Yeah, this whole thing has been murder on my skin.”

“I could use a break…mysteries are good but I’m just not in the mood for them anymore, I’m burnt out.”

“Then let’s get back to class.” They guys dispersed but Satan and Beel stayed where they were with odd looks in their eyes.

“You okay?” Satan looked up sharply as though he just realized everyone else had gone.

“Yes, I just…have to get to class.” He was gone just like that and it was just Beel and I left standing.

“Tèa, I have to talk to you, I have a really bad feeling.” I hadn’t seen such a conflicted look in Beel’s eyes since I told him about the engagement and I was not feeling good about it.

K

I was still sitting on the bed with the pen in hand staring at the blank sheet of paper when I heard my DDD go off again, damn, I should have turned it off. I looked to find a message from Satan, there were a lot I hadn’t read and my hands shook as my thumb hovered over the message button. I shouldn’t read them, I shouldn’t let him know I’m alive, he wanted me dead…didn’t he?

 **Satan:** Kio answer me please!!

 **Satan:** I was just being an asshole, I didn’t mean it!

 **Satan:** Please call me, please don’t hurt yourself!

 **Satan:** You don’t have to talk, just let me know you’re okay!

 **Satan:** I’m such a bastard, I know that, how can I say I love you and say that to you, I don’t deserve you at all!

 **Satan:** Just let me know you’re alive…

I guess he didn’t want me gone after all, but he was dead wrong when he said he didn’t deserve me, it was the other way around. I didn’t deserve him, not by a long shot.

 **Satan:** The trial is almost over, and it seems like they may find Eliza guilty, but something deep down makes me wonder if that’s the right choice. I wonder if we made the right choice in putting her in that position, I wanted so much for there to be a mystery to solve that I made so many mistakes in the process. I don’t know why, but I know my greatest mistake was meeting you. If that didn’t happen I wouldn’t have hurt you so many times and I wouldn’t be feeling these things like I do. This is all my fault and I am so sorry I ruined your life…I don’t know if you will ever read this…but I love you Kio, and I’m so sorry.

Hot tears fell onto the screen and I felt my chest tighten, he would still wish he never met me. He believes I’m gone…and he still wishes he never met me. No, I couldn’t think of it that way, he said he wish he never hurt me like he did…but…all I could think about was how I hurt him…he wouldn’t have said those things if I wasn’t so horrible to him…I hated myself so much, I couldn’t even tell the person I loved what I was really feeling!

I read through other messages and found my sister was worried and so were Beel and Mammon, a couple from the others over time but none of them blamed me like they should have! All of this was my fault, why didn’t anyone see that?! Why was I a burden to everyone I meet?! Why am I so pathetic, why am I such a waste of space?!!

L

The past two weeks have been murderous on my schedule, the interviews with Solomon led us to put him in detainment in our cells for threatening our kind and the jury has been excused to deliberate on their decision. So much of the evidence points to the witch and yet away from her at the same time, we can prove that she may have stolen the files, but not that she corrupted the angel, if the jury were wise they would realize that something was too far amiss, but then even I couldn’t decipher that.

I gathered a few treats and ventured up the stairs to check on Kiomè and as I opened the door he was hyperventilating and rocking on the floor.

“Kiomè what happened, what’s the matter?!” He kept rocking and that’s when I noticed he was clawing at the outside of his arms as he muttered.

“Why am I here, why am I such a waste of space??”

“Stop it, give me your hands!!” I grabbed his hands and he looked as though he couldn’t even see me, he just kept mumbling.

“What is the matter with you talk to me, tell me what’s wrong?!”

“I can’t!!”

“Why not?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!! I don’t know what’s wrong with me because I don’t know what’s supposed to be right! I don’t know what I am and I don’t know who I’m supposed to be! I wasted my whole life trying to make everyone happy but I and I failed, I failed at everything and no one is even mad at me!! I must have always been a failure in their eyes!” He started to sob and I spotted his DDD on the floor, I should berate him but I had to get him calmed down.

“Listen to me, you are whomever you choose to be so don’t give me that nonsense about not knowing who you are because that is and always has been your choice!. We all have our flaws, we are demons after all, so do not fret so much with those details. If you do not know who you are, then make yourself who you feel is right, be who feels right to you without pleasing anyone else!” He buried his head in his knees and I took his DDD to look through his messages, from what I gathered something had happened between my brother and him, something that upset him so much he would hurt himself again at the mentioning of it.

He was bleeding but luckily his scratches were superficial, they would heal within a week or two if he didn’t bother to heal them; but I checked over him regardless. As I bandaged his arms he calmed down considerably but he was very silent.

“Kiomè…you are much stronger than this, where is your defiance, what happened to the Kiomè that would speak his mind and stand firm? When you told me off in front of my brothers was that an act?”

“No, you just pissed me off.”

“When you told off the angels during the interviews were you acting then?”

“No, they were jerks.”

“You know deep down who you are, you just have ignore the outside forces that keep you from seeing it.” He looked up and saw that I had his device in my hand and his face contorted.

“No, please you can’t do that!”

“I’m sorry, but you left me with no choice! I appreciate that you haven’t told anyone where you were but you still lied to me! And on top of that whatever communication you are having is causing you a lot of distress!”

“You can’t just take it from me, it’s mine, I don’t have anyone else so talk to!!” That stung but I didn’t show it on my face as I stood.

“You have enough to keep you entertained here and in all honesty you can leave at any time you want to!” He looked confused as I pointed to the door and drew his knees in again.

“Kiomè, I am not going to force you to stay here, that door has been unlocked for weeks now! I know what I have done to you was horrible and I want to make it right, you have every right to step out that door and be free! But if you won’t leave it just tells me that you truly don’t need your device!” He looked toward the door and shook his head rocking again.

“No, I can’t go out there, they hate me. They don’t really like me, I’ll only hurt everyone again! I’m in denial but I don’t even know what I’m in denial about this time!” I told him for a second time that he could leave and again he refused, maybe in this moment it was for the better, he was not well today.

“Wait don’t leave me here alone, please, I know I’m a burden…but you’re the only one that doesn’t either hate me or pity me… You see something I can’t, I need you…” Wow, to hear him say something with such vulnerability was surreal, normally I would get a smart alec response or a shoulder shrug. He was really in trouble today.

“I am just going to put this away. I will get my work and bring it here to keep you company. And how about we have some tarts I managed to get from Barbatos earlier today, we can make a time of it.” He looked like a little boy sitting there looking up at me with hopeful eyes.

“Okay.” I nodded and put his DDD in my pocket, this would be another long night…DAMN! I had forgotten I had made plans with Tèa tonight!! She is going to be so disappointed, I had to think of something to tell her but what? I was digging myself deeper and deeper into this mess and the more I tried to relive it the worse it became! Something had to give, and I had the feeling I would suffer the consequences no matter how it did.

J

“Beel what is going on? Why are you so upset?” We snuck to the courtyard outside to talk in private, Beel looked very distressed and I was getting uneasy about it.

“Okay, it may be nothing, but I had a disturbing dream.” He wrung his hands as he tore open a bag of chips, eating them one at a time as he thought to himself and that alarmed me more.

“I always dream about food, eating food, seeing food smelling food. But over the centuries I noticed that some food dreams are…special.”

“How so?”

“Well if I have someone who is close to me like a friend and I know their favorite food then when I dream of that food I can have a feeling of what may happen to them after that.”

“So you can sort of tell the future with food?”

“Not really…I mean I don’t know what’s going to happen to anyone but I get these bad feelings. Like once I choked while eating sushi and I the next day Belphie twisted his ankle. Once I dreamt that I was eating some rainbow pizza and all the toppings feel to the floor and Levi lost all the memory to his games in a power outage. The night before Azrael tried to take over I found worms in the princess poisoned apple I was eating.”

“Okay, so I can say that dreams like that are something to trust,”

“Well last night I dreamt there was a buffet table and there was desserts like cupcakes, apple pie, and lollipops. And there was sushi, cut apples, ramen and all sorts of things. But you see…the candles on the table dripped and the entire table caught on fire. I was eating strawberry pocky as I walked to the table and I remember throwing it into the fire…and a giant flaming bird came at me…I woke up in a sweat.” I thought of all the foods he had mentioned and I felt a chill.

“But Tèa…isn’t strawberry pocky Kio’s favorite snack?” I gasped and looked to my best friend to make sure I understood what he was implying.

“Do you believe he’s alive?”

“I don’t know, I don’t understand a lot of what’s going on, but it meant something. The fire, the bird, the food…burning. Something really bad is going to happen and I don’t know what to do to stop it.”

“I don’t think we can…but I understand when you say you’ve got a bad feeling because I do too.” The thought of something happening to the guys made me sick to my stomach but there was the inkling that my brother was alive, maybe that was the key to this dream of his. What did the fire represent, why did Beel throw the pocky? I pulled out my DDD and looked to the messages.

“Beel…Kio’s read my messages!”

“That means…he’s okay after all? Or at the very least someone has his phone.”

“That’s true, I’m going to call it.” I dialed his number and it rang but went to voicemail. He might be alright after all, I text Satan and told him to get to the house of Lamentation quickly and I called Lucifer as we got there.

“Hello?”

“Luci, hey we need to talk are you busy?”

“Actually yes, I have a lot of work to catch up on so I will be locked in my study until I am finished tonight.”

“So then we aren’t going to dinner tonight.”

“No Beloved I am so sorry, I wish there was another way but I have to get this done. Please don’t be mad at me love.”

“It’s fine Lucifer…just do what you have to.” I hung up on him, frustrated.

“I take it he’s busy again.” Satan approached as I huffed my irritation.

“This is the third time this week he’s blown me off, but it doesn’t matter we think that Kio is alive.” His face took on a look of shock and he took a deep breath.

“How do you know? Are you sure?”

“Beel had a weird food dream premonition and I called his phone and it’s on again!”

“Okay…” He bent forward like he was out of breath and began to pace.

“Satan?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, let’s just get inside.” He was expressionless except for his eyes, he seemed anxious in his eyes. We walked inside and we sat in Satan’s room as we thought about what to do. I could understand after their last conversation that the last thing Kio would probably want is to speak to him, but even still we had to find him.

“Who wants to give it a try?”

“No, I’m not doing it, I can’t.”

“I don’t know what to say to him either.”

“I will try, we never had any hard feelings.” Beel dialed Kio’s number and we waited but something was weird.

“He didn’t answer.”

“Try it again.” He redialed and still he didn’t answer, but there it was again.

“Nothing.”

“One more time.”

“Jetèa if he didn’t answer the first two times-”

“Shh…listen. Does that sound like…”

“Someone’s DDD is going off somewhere in the house.”

“We are the only ones here, everyone else is back at school.”

“But Lucifer said he was in his study, so maybe that’s it.” We looked at each other and a sense of dread fell over us.

“Beel keep calling, Satan come on!” We walked around the house following the sound of the ringing until it got louder. We reached Lucifer’s study just beyond the library and stopped.

“It’s coming from in here.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense…” I knocked loudly but there was no answer, I tried the knob but it was locked.

“He must not hear us.”

“Move I’m unlocking this damned door.” Satan used some sort of spell and the door swung open with a loud bang and there wasn’t a soul around.

“But he said…”

“It’s coming from his desk!” we rushed over and opened the drawer to Lucifer’s desk…in it was a ringing DDD. Satan stared at it and slowly put it to his ear to answer it.

“Beel…yeah it’s us, it was in Lucifer’s desk and he isn’t here. You should get down here now.” He looked almost numb as he hung up and looked at the screen.

“This is his DDD, he even has that picture of us as his wallpaper still…”

“But why is there blood on it?!” He quickly looked to the back of it and to our horror there was blood on Kio’s DDD. I felt my blood boil as all the pieces to this puzzle came together, Satan talked to him at least two weeks ago, Lucifer was smelling like blood the morning after it all went down and now his DDD is in his desk!! I made a conference call and told everyone else to get here immediately, and then I called Lucifer.

“Lucifer, I need you to stop whatever you’re doing and get here now. I don’t give a shit what work you are doing, we’re standing in your study right now and I think you have some explaining to do!!” I hung up and sat in his chair to wait.

“Tèa, I never heard you speak to him like that.” Beel looked at me bewildered as he entered. Satan still held Kio’s DDD with empty eyes and lost for words. I however was feeing extremely angry right now.

“Have a seat Beel, we are all about to have a serious discussion.”


	13. The Truth Comes to Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding Kio's DDD in Lucifer's desk. Tea goes into a rage and demands the truth from Lucifer which doesn't make things any better.
> 
> Satan confronts Kio in the attic and old flames burn hot again, but this time Kio holds true to his promise to be truthful and doesn't hold back with his true feelings.

Part 4 Chapter 13

L

“Was that Tèa?” I held my DDD in my hand staring in disbelief at her tone and choice of words towards me and I felt there was going to be a very tense discussion ahead.

“Yes it was.”

“She sounds, super pissed, she doesn’t curse like that unless she’s being hateful.”

“She said they are in my study right now.” Kiomè sat beside me as I told her I would be working there all night. He put down his tart with a serious sigh.

“Yikes…that’s not good, this is my fault, if I didn’t have a meltdown-“

“It isn’t your fault, it’s mine, I will try to talk her down.” I didn’t show it on my face but I was quite nervous.

“If you’re lucky she just thinks you’re cheating on her.”

“Good to know, if all else fails I will go that route.”

“Word of advice Lu, guard your balls.”

“Excuse me?”

“She will go for every low blow imaginable when she is just that mad, it’s a figure of speech but a good piece of advice. I’ve been on the receiving end of her anger, guard yourself, I mean it. Sae can get nasty but Tèa plays dirty.” I nodded towards him and descended the stairs and entered the hallway, I gave enough time so that it would appear as I as at least somewhere else in the house and not much farther before I entered my study. However I didn’t expect to see all of my brothers as well as my fiancé to be staring at me when I did. Tèa sat behind my desk with her hands folded staring at me with a cold hard expression, whatever this was, it was serious but I wasn’t going to submit to her.

“You wished to speak to me Beloved?”

“Where were you?”

“I was in my room, I had things I needed to retrieve.” She didn’t blink as she looked to my brother who squirmed under her gaze.

“Asmo?”

“I checked your room, you weren’t there.”

“And before you give another excuse Beel checked the kitchen, Belphie checked the other bedrooms, Satan checked the dining hall, Mammon checked the planetarium and Levi checked the music room. You weren’t in any of them. Try again.” Her tone was so cold and I found my own indignation bubbling from the display.

“If you must know I was in the attic.”

“The attic?”

“I forgot we had an attic…”

“What were you doing there?”

“I was working.” That much is true at least.

“Then why did you tell me that you were in your study? Why was it locked as though you were in here?!”

“I believe this is a matter to speak of in private. I am not going to be drilled with questions like I am a child!”

“Then maybe you should start giving us some answers, this is a family matter and it should be discussed with the family, they aren’t going anywhere!!”

“Do NOT raise your voice at me in that manner!! And certainly do not speak of my brothers as though they belong to you, they are mine!” From their squirms and her smile I felt myself fall for some sort of trap.

“Says the pot to the kettle.”

“What?”

“When was the last time you spoke to my brother Lucifer?” about fifteen minutes ago.

“I haven’t seen him in nearly two months, exactly what does this have to do with anything?!” And that was when she pulled out the DDD I had only placed there a few hours ago. There was no way I could get out of this easily now.

“Now I find that very odd, because Satan spoke to Kio three weeks ago tomorrow the same evening you left us at the festival and you have been secretive since. They spoke on this DDD and yet it is in your drawer…with blood on it.”

“I…I can explain-“

“Did you do something to my brother, did you hurt him?!”

“No, I did no such thing!”

“Then tell me the truth!!” They all looked at me expectantly and I let out a sigh.

“Kiomè tried to kill you and he almost succeeded, and in that moment I thought he killed our baby as well… I wanted to seek vengeance. When I left the hospital I saw that he was running away again and I kidnapped him. I was going to hurt him…but I couldn’t do it, we were once friends and I care about him, so I simply left him in the attic.” The silence was roaring but I kept my head high and carried no shame to her knowledge.

“Oof Lucifer, again?”

“Oh bro no…”

“That explains how we all forgot the attic, he used another spell on it.” I looked to my brothers who whispered their distaste for my choice and they instantly quieted. I turned back in time for a sharp slap in the face that, in honesty, I did deserve.

“You locked my brother in the attic for two months?!! You sat by and watched all of us worry and fret and feel horrible while you knew where he was all along?! You lied to me, you lied to all of us and you treated my baby brother like a criminal!!”

“I did what I had to do, he nearly killed you!! If I didn’t keep the two of you apart he was going to finish the job sooner or later because you cannot leave well enough alone! You push him over and over until he snaps and one day it will mean your end!!”

“Don’t you dare turn this on me!! You lied to me, you kidnapped my little brother and you planned to hurt him!! Do not play this off as the concerned fiancé act just because you developed a conscience at the last minute!!” She was right there, I wasn’t thinking of this plan at all and I had no idea she would find that DDD in my desk.

“Yes, I lied, I have wronged you there. But I had the best intentions when I kept him there I promise.” She stood just inches from me and I could see the anger in her beautiful eyes, if I could take it all back I would do it!

“Best intentions? You kidnapped Kio and lied to us; you kept him as a prisoner for your own selfish needs! What were you doing to him, did you torture him, is that why there is blood on his DDD??!!”

“I promise you I have done no such thing!”

“I can’t believe anything you say now, do you understand that?!”

“Yes I know that, when Belphie acted out against Diavolo I did what I felt I had to do then as well and that was a mistake too. I never meant to harm anyone-“

“You knew it was a bad decision and you didn’t learn the first goddamn time?!!” She shoved me back and Beel put an arm around her.

“Tèa take it easy, we don’t need to fight!”

“NO! He lied to me, he knew where he was while we thought he was dead!! We have been a wreck for weeks and you hid that from us!!” I looked at her shocked, I had no idea!

“I didn’t know any of you were even contacting him…if I had-“

“YOU WOULD HAVE LIED ANYWAY, SO SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!!” She slapped me again and this one was more hostile than the last.

“We didn’t know you guys were talking to him either.” Belphie crossed his arms as he looked to his twin, already there was a divide forming.

“It was only Satan that he would talk to but they had a fight some weeks ago.”

“And we been worryin’ ever since then ‘bout what happened to him. Satan and Tèa been completely wrecked by it all.”

“Wait…where is Satan?” I had realized that he hadn’t been speaking up but it seemed he left entirely.

K

I paced around the attic nervous about the conversation that was going on downstairs; my sister sounded really mad and I would be lying if hearing her voice like that didn’t trigger a flashback or two. I hope all was alright, Lucifer was the only one I could talk to now that he took my DDD.

“Kiomè…” I froze and my heart slammed in my chest. It couldn’t be…not now.

“S…s…Sae…?” He stood right there in the doorway, panting like he had been running and staring at me like he had seen a ghost.

“Are…are you alive? Are you really here…?” He stepped toward me slowly and I unconsciously stepped back. I remembered what he had said to me that night, but then I also remember what he said in that last message. He wished he never met me; that was clear in both and I should stay away and yet…I felt so weak looking at him. My back hit the wall and he looked deep into my eyes just before they began to well with tears.

“Dammit…I never cried this much before I met you, I just…didn’t expect to see you. I thought…” He reached out and put his fingers into my hair and quickly snatched his hand back.

“I didn’t say anything because I thought you didn’t want to see me again, you made that pretty clear.” He slammed his hands to the wall on each side of me and I jumped. He averted his eyes from me and lowered his head as he trembled.

“How can you be so smart and so stupid at the same time? I was just angry! I’m always angry… but that wasn’t fair to you! I should never have said those things; if I really loved you like I said I did I would never have treated you that way!”

“But…you were right-“

“DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT!! I never wanted you to hurt yourself, I would never want you to die!!” I could hear his claws carve along the wall as his voice trembled, I couldn’t even respond with the lump in my throat.

“Do you have any idea how crazy you make me? Do you know just how this feels…?” his voice was so low and pained. I never thought I would be this close to him again, his scent made me dizzy and I wanted to put my arms around him so much. I felt his breath on the crook of my neck, it was like he wanted to be close to me without touching me and it felt so bittersweet.

“I’m so angry with you for not telling me where you were, for not telling me that you were okay, and yet…” I felt his lips brush against my ear and my face went hot, this was torture, what was he going to do? Would he hurt me?

“I feel this burning in my chest…it’s like when I was smitten with your soul. But I know now that I think I was falling for you before I even realized it.”

“You…were?” He looked back into my eyes and my felt my chest ache.

“Your soul is the essence of yourself…I loved to watch your soul shimmer and sparkle when you were happy and so I wanted to see you happy all the time. I loved the way it made me feel, to be the one that made you shine. It wasn’t until you kissed me did more feelings come to the front of my mind. Being without you, all this time, has been driving me insane and I think it was because I needed you more than I thought I did.” His expression changed as he looked at me.

“Are you afraid of me?”

“In honesty, yeah a little. Mostly because I thought you hated me, I don’t understand.” He softened and rested his head on my shoulder; I cradled his head and petted his soft hair.

“You think…Why don’t _you hate me_ …why don’t you hurt me?! I was the one that mistreated you and you are worried about my feelings?!”

“I could never hurt you Sae, as shitty as I am capable of showing it, I care about you.” He lifted his head and saw my scars on my wrists. He gently took my hand in his and kissed the scars tenderly making my heart melt.

“I’m so sorry…I am so sorry Kio.” I couldn’t take much more of this, I can’t risk hurting him again and yet I wanted to be closer to him. He lifted his hand and cupped my face, I know he saw how flush my face was and he leaned in to kiss me but I gripped his shirt and held him back just before made contact.

“Sae please…I don’t want to hurt you.” He moved his other arm around my waist and brushed his thumb along my lower lip.

“Then don’t hurt me.” He kissed me and felt my whole body go hot, I had forgotten how sweet his mouth tasted and when he gave me his tongue I accepted it gratefully. I released my grip on his shirt and allowed him to lean into me. I shouldn’t be doing this, I can’t do this to him, not again! I shoved him back and he looked at me confused, I would normally say something to push him away or hurt his feelings but I know now that it isn’t fair for either of us.

“Sae please…stop…” The way he looked at me…like he adored me, it made me melt.

“That face, how can you expect me to when you make that face?” his hand on my waist made me shudder and before I could push him again he gripped my wrist and pinned it to the wall. He brushed his lips along my neck and I let out a stifled sigh.

“I know this is hard for you, I understand, but I can see it in your soul; you feel the same. If you tell me to stop I will, but only if that is what you truly want.” His voice was so husky and I felt his grip on me tighten.

“But make your decision fast, because it is very hard to hold back.” My head was getting fuzzy and my heart was racing so fast I thought I would pass out. His lips hovered just above mine and he looked at me in earnest. I could see the fire burning inside him, raging and dancing, it was so beautiful. He pressed his forehead to mine as he let out a soft moan.

“What is your next move Kio? I want you to say it, I want to hear you tell me what you want.” I could feel his desperation, his anxiety and his adoration he did care about me, I knew that but feeling it and knowing it at the same time… pushed me over the edge

“What I want…is you Sae.” I kissed him and he pulled me closer and into his arms. He lifted me up and next thing I know I was in the bed with my arms around him. feeling his body against mine was intoxicating and after so long it was like the first time all over again…the first time…I hurt him the first time. What am I doing, I know for a fact that I can’t love him the way he deserves, and here I am leading him on anyway! I am a horrible person.

“Kio, I know it’s hard, but you don’t have to be afraid with me.” His hands gave me ecstasy and the way he nibbled on my collarbone drove me insane. I let out a loud moan and my face went red hot, he looked at me surprised and his face reddened as well before he started kissing me again.

“Don’t be afraid, just let go…don’t hold back.” But that was the problem, I was holding back. Barbatos said that I was in denial, that I deny everything about myself and even now I let Sae have his way to spare his feelings when in the end I’m about to hurt them anyway. If I was going to find out who I truly am I had to accept the situation for what it was!

“Sae stop it!!” He lifted his head and I saw a fresh wave of hurt in his eyes and I cupped his face. He expected me to turn him away again, of course he did, that was the pattern after all. I get his hopes up and then I break his heart.

“Just listen to me please…please hear me out?” I was near tears myself, I could feel his hurt along with my own, he was expecting me to break him again.

“I love you, I do, I want to be with you and I was so happy when you told me how you felt. But I can’t be with you, it isn’t anything you’ve done but it’s my own insecurities that keep me from loving you the way you need to be!” I could see that he didn’t understand and he was getting upset.

“Just listen please… _A wounded raven lies upon the forest floor not making a sound, his blood warms him as it spills onto the cold ground. He knows he is soon to die and isn’t afraid, for in his final thoughts a wish had been made…’My dying hope for all it’s worth, is to see the sun to a new day give birth, to feel the rays that flowers love and adore, to see the sky I had used to explore, the sun loves all and that’s why I cry, to feel loved before I die’…”_ I brushed back his hair and stoked his face, please understand! I used my own mind to show him the dark bird and the scary black forest it was doomed to expire in to help illustrate.

“ _‘All my life was dealt in shadows and scorn upon my name, but you see the love from the suns light embraces all creatures the same. I came into this world in chaos and I’ve flown through the angry sky, I only ask with my last breath to be at peace when I finally die.’ The raven looked to the dark heavens above, hoping to feel some sense of love. Soon the clouds parted and a light soft and low glided down into the feathers of the poor creature down below. It was still cold and the light was mild but despite of that the raven smiled. He let out a sigh and his soul departed, though he was still alone and brokenhearted. He felt grateful, to die in the cold dead of night because in that moment he had some form of light_.” I could feel his confliction, he was already hurting and now he was confused.

“What are you saying, that my…heart is dying?”

“I’m saying that you deserve better than moonlight! You are right, I am having a hard time, but I love you enough to know you deserve to be loved fully. You deserve to be shown off to the world and I…can’t do that. If I’m going to love you I have to do it right or not at all. And _that is why_ I keep pushing you away…I’m sorry.” He moved away from me and paced angrily.

“Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what I do and don’t deserve?!!”

“Sae please, I’m sorry, I keep fucking up and hurting you! I just-“ the way he looked at me broke my heart and silence fell between us.

“I feel like I’m losing my mind, logically I understand what you are saying and it makes perfect sense. But I haven’t been logical in what feels like forever; all I feel is anger and this burning and I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way. I’ve read so many romance novels that tell me what love is like but none of them say anything about these kinds of feelings.” I stepped closer to him, wanting to comfort him and not wanting to confuse him further at the same time. He gave me a look that told me to stay where I was and I knew in that moment he had put up a wall.

“I have never felt this way about anyone before, and what you said about the raven…it was beautiful but it only makes it worse. When I’m with you I don’t feel so angry, it’s like the opposite, but this feeling…this ache is something that just won’t do. I don’t understand what this is but…this is too much.” He stopped and crossed his arms, his eyes going empty. I knew that feeling of defeat all too well.

“Sae I’m-“ He raised his hand and shook his head somberly.

“I know you don’t mean it, but I don’t want to do it anymore. When I spoke to you all those months ago I had no intention of developing these feelings, but I don’t regret becoming your friend.” He looked at me with a sad smile as he sighed.

“But Kio…I can’t be your friend anymore. If I can’t have you, then I know I would rather you be happy away from me than make things awkward and painful. I will only hurt you if I stay close to you, you aren’t ready…and if I can’t understand my own feelings then maybe I’m not either. If this is love, I never expected it to hurt like this, maybe it’s better if we never knew it at all.” He was breaking it off with me…we couldn’t be friends, we couldn’t be anything now…all because of me.

“Sae…I don’t-“ Before I could say anything else we heard shouting and stomping on the stairs.

“Oh yes, and your sister knows you’re here as well, get ready.” He leaned against the table as the door burst open.

J

“How long were you planning to hide him there Lucifer; what were you going to tell my parents when we were to go home for their anniversary?! What was the plan?!!” I was so angry I saw red, all these weeks I could have been trying to get closer to my brother and he had him locked away from the world like he were some sort of animal! He had no right and he was about to understand that!

“I wasn’t sure exactly, I had planned to release him, but he didn’t seem to want to leave.”

“Oh that is so convenient!! ‘I tried to let him go but he didn’t want to so I kept lying to everyone’ that’s a wondrous plan love, good job!”

“Do not condescend me, I only did what I had to, if you didn’t nitpick at everything that concerned your brother I wouldn’t need to separate the two of you!!” Beel held me tight, if he wasn’t I would have slapped him again!

“What you did wasn’t separation, it was criminal! There isn’t a single thing you can do to change my mind on that, not ever!” He sighed and crossed his arms, I can tell he was fed up with the conversation.

“If there is no changing your mind then there is no need to discuss it further now is there?” He had no remorse at all, he didn’t even say he was sorry!! I felt myself change as I broke Beel’s hold and lunged for him, this time he took me seriously and jumped back just before I slashed him.

“You self-serving, self-righteous egotistical bastard!! Are you so bored with destroying your own family that you have to go for mine as well?!! Do you have nothing better to do than make everyone feel inferior to you because of your own weaknesses?!!” I came at him again and Mammon, Asmo and Beel put themselves between us.

“Rose we don’t have to get violent!”

“Easy Tèa, take a breath!!”

“This ain’t Lucifer’s best moment but don’t fly off the handle!” I felt something in me break and when I looked into his eyes I saw a glimpse of the vulnerability that only he would let me see, I saw the pain that my words brought and I felt myself succumb to the sickening sweet darkness I had once left in my past.

“No Mammon, you’re right, he isn’t worth the energy needed to put him in his place.” I didn’t sound like myself, I sounded cold and hateful, I sounded like the girl who used to abuse her own family.

“Excuse me?!”

“Well it is no secret Luci that you put on this frivolous act to look as though you can be in control when truthfully you have no control at all. You are sad and angry that you have gone from the top archangel into a pathetic lap dog, so you lash out and conspire to keep your own brothers down so that even if you are lower than ever you can still feel higher than something.” They all gasped and I saw the look of shock in his eyes.

“You didn’t tell them? How lonely you feel because they take solace in each other and leave you out; or how about the fact that you think your father is right?” He looked at me with complete shock and anger. I saw in his mind the conversation he had with his father, I heard the words that haunted him and I had the bait I needed.

“You didn’t tell them that either? Wow, and you said that family means more to you than anything. You knew what Lilith was doing would lead to her end, you knew you should have stopped her before that human got ill. But you were so absorbed with your status and your ego that you thought she would get a slap on the wrist because she was your sister! And you felt so indignant when they took her in for trial and that is why you felt so much of the anger you did!”

“No!! That isn’t true, and you know it!!”

“Which one, about why you’re so angry or the fact you watched your sister kill herself because you felt you were above the law?” I got him, I hit his most tender point and I could see it in his eyes. The others watched us in horror as I smiled and cocked my head to the demon I had once said I loved. I stepped around the others to face Lucifer and I looked him right in the eye as I delivered the final blow.

“The pathetic part is that even though your own sister died because of your pride you weren’t satisfied. You were angry about the sadistic rules and punishments your father displayed, covered with a veil of family values. Yet at the same time you have done the same thing to your own brothers, you became your father and you will stop at nothing to destroy everything you touch for the sake of ‘family’. You aren’t going to touch mine, you stay away from my brother and you stay away from me, I wouldn’t marry you if you were the only being left in this universe and I’m elated I will never have to worry about the burden of bearing your child!!” I broke him, I saw it in his eyes and he trembled before backing away silently. Once he was gone I ran to the stairs with the others behind me and climbed towards the attic I had never seen.

“Rose that was way too harsh and you know it!!”

“I had no idea you could be so hateful!”

“Right, I like to see Lucifer squirm as much as the next demon but even I felt really bad for him. You had no right to bring Lilith into it!” I stopped and turned to them, they looked so angry and thinking about my words I didn’t blame them.

“I only spoke what was on his heart…he brought it on himself.” I turned without looking at them and kicked the door open to see my little brother and Satan standing around like they were just finished speaking. Kio looked at me like he had seen a ghost and the very first thing I did was run over and hug him.

“Kio, baby brother, you’re okay!! I’m so sorry you had to deal with this, I’m taking you out of here. I don’t want you anywhere near Lucifer ever again!” I grabbed his arm to lead him out and he snatched it away from me.

“Who said I wanted to go anywhere?” I stood there dumbfounded, we all piled into this attic like it was a rescue mission but it seemed…my brother didn’t want rescued. Satan was leaning on the table a stoic look on his face as he turned and went to the door.

“Satan, where are you going?!”

“I said my piece, I’m done.” He was gone without another word and I felt this was even more confusing than ever before.

“Kio please, you have to get out of here, I will take you some place safe and you won’t be afraid or mistreated ever again. I’m sorry I was so horrible to you but please let me make this right!” He turned on me his face red with anger and pushed me back.

“What did you say to Lucifer, why isn’t he here?!”

“You don’t need to worry about him anymore, I will take care of you-“

“You just don’t get it do you?!!” We were all silent, my brother looked near tears as he sat on the bed.

“Do you know why I thought the two of you were so damned perfect for each other?! Its because you both have this incessant need to control everything around you! You needed to be the one to bring me back home, he needed to be the one to keep me away from you, you needed to be the one to set me free! But what about what I want?!!”

“Kio…I came to save you…”

“So you have been trying to do all year but news flash Tèa, you can’t save me!! When we were children you felt it was your duty to control me because you were older! You felt you were the only one with the power to make my life hell and now you think you have the power to make it all better?! You haven’t changed at all!! You want to control me to feed your own sense of purpose, your own ego and anyone who tries to take you from that is inferior to you and you know I’m telling the truth!!” He was right, I tried to control everything about my siblings from the start but I didn’t think that what I was doing was wrong in this case.

“Kio, I missed you, I love you and I was so worried!”

“I know, but my life isn’t for you to control. I have to own up to my own sins, I have to take accountability for my actions I have to get my shit together and I can only do that here! So yeah, I’m alive, I’m okay, thank you for being worried and close the door on your way out.” He didn’t want to leave, he actually wanted to stay here. What was going on that he would choose isolation? I stood paralyzed as Belphie came over and hugged him and they shared a couple words as he did with Levi and Mammon too and they left without a single protest. Asmo stepped forward with his hands in his pockets and uncertainty on his face.

“Kiki…what exactly happened between-“

“I’m not speaking about it. Period.”

“Well regardless little brother welcome back.” The two hugged each other and he was gone as well. I had thought that after so long they would stay longer, convince him to leave but…after what I’ve done, I wouldn’t stick around me either.”

“Beel, can you give us a minute?”

“Sure Tèa.” He was silent too as he left, did I really go too far? I approached my brother who was struggling to catch his breath and I hugged him again. He seemed hesitant but he hugged me back and after a few moments we both calmed down, just happy to see each other again since the last time was in such a devastating circumstance.

“You ripped into him didn’t you, got every soft spot he had and tear it apart? You’re good at that, always have been, you’re just like our mother in that way.” He sniffled and shook his head in disapproval.

“And you aren’t?”

“I can understand that it sucks to be the person that gets hurt! So I would never want to hurt anyone else, even if it hurts me in the process! I would rather suffer than be the cause of it for someone else…and that is partly my problem.” I sat on the bed and he plopped back down next to me with a sigh. My baby brother was always soft hearted, he could feel others emotions and that made him very sensitive to their wellbeing and less so of his own. If I had a tenth of that I wouldn’t be so hateful.

“I said some really horrible things to Lucifer, but he didn’t look sorry at all, he really thought he was right in what he did and he just pissed me off!! I said so many horrible things and I relished in his pain because…”

“You wanted him to hurt, you hurt others because you are hurting it’s why I never stopped you, I would only have you hurt twice. But Lucifer didn’t deserve that at all.”

“It’s too late to take back what I said, and I’m way too angry at him still, he lied to me!!”

“Well Tèa, he may be a demon but he’s still a guy. And we guys have a knack for fucking things up; you can say it’s our specialty.”

“So you and Satan?”

“Over, very much over…we aren’t even friends and I don’t blame him either and I won’t change his decision.”

“You love him that much?”

“I’m a lover, not a fighter…if I had half of your grit I would have turned out much different.”

“You are amazing the way you are, you always have been.”

“But I don’t even know who I am…that’s my problem and I have to figure that out.” We were silent for a moment, this was the first time we have been able to be beside each other without an argument since the fair. Why did so much time have to pass between those moments?

“I’m sorry I tried to out you in front of the guys.”

“I’m sorry I called you a cunt and tried to kill you, that doesn’t seem to compare at all.”

“No, it doesn’t, if I haven’t been so hateful to you, you would never have learned to resort to your anger as a defense mechanism. So in reality I was more at fault.”

“No, my actions are mine to account for, I have to work on myself and this is the only way to do it. I have to stay here, it’s why I didn’t leave when Lucifer tried to let me go.” He didn’t tell me that…wait, yes he did, and I didn’t believe him.

“He tried to let you go?” he turned over his arms and I saw the thick scars that went down his forearm in diagonal lines.

“Tèa… a few weeks ago, I tried to kill myself. Lucifer found me and saved my life, he’s been hanging out with me ever since to make sure I was safe. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him and you can’t hate him like I know you want to right now. He lied and what he did was wrong but…he’s my friend. I trust him.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He was here all along watching over my brother, he saved his life, why didn’t he tell me those things, why didn’t he explain that to me?! But as I said it was too late, even still I was still angry with him and he would never forgive me for what I said.

“Even so…we are over as well.”

“Looks like we can’t get this love thing figured out for shit huh?”

“Not at all, we may be doomed to be alone.”

“At least you have your plants.”

“You have your music.”

“Yeah…I guess.” He looked so sad and I petted his hair and for the first time since he was a toddler he leaned over to rest his head on my shoulder.

“Nee-chan?”

“Yes Otòto?”

“Can you stay with me for a little bit? I don’t want to be alone right now.” He started to cry and I could feel my own tears of heartbreak coming.

“Of course, I’ll stay as long as you want me, in truth, I need you too.” We stayed there together, crying, releasing the grief of our broken hearts to each other unsure of what would dare come after.


	14. The Guilty and the Not Guilty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days pass after the explosive argument and everyone is walking on eggshells. Meanwhile the ruling for the trial has been announced.

Part 4 Chapter 14

L

“Lucifer, could you open the door please? It’s been three days!” It had been three days? It feels like it had been an eternity…this crushing feeling…it won’t subside…it’s like a mountain sitting upon my chest, like my body is too heavy to move. It was dark, but it had been dark every time I opened my eyes, not that such a thing was important.

“Lucifer please, Diavolo is on his way here and I can’t make any excuses once he’s here, you have to talk to him, you have to talk to someone!” Asmo pounded on my door but I wasn’t bothered enough to move from where I was. The events that lead to this played and replayed in my head constantly. This was all my doing, just as the witch said a year ago, all I know to do is destroy. I heard the lock click and the door open as my brother walked in to continue his scolding.

“Lucifer!! I know what Rose said was harsh but…oh dear…you poor thing.” Was he talking about me right now? Normally I wouldn’t never allow myself in the position to be patronized in such a manner but I simply didn’t care. I was already damned, I made my bed, I may as well lie in it.

“Oh Lucifer…how many of these bottles of Demonus did you put away?! You look like a train ran over you and backed up to do it again.” Shouldn’t I punish him for that? Who the hell cares? I felt his warm hands on my forehead and then on my back…Tèa knew just the right way to rub my back…

“Lucifer honey, oh dear, you are absolutely depressed. She really got you didn’t she?” Is this what depression feels like? I couldn’t imagine how Kiomè managed to make us think it wasn’t this crushing.

“Where…is Kiomè?” A blinding light flooded the room and I saw my brother kneel on the side of the bed.

“Still in the attic, poor dear refuses to come out, from what I gather he and Satan are in the same boat as you and Rose. Everyone is walking on eggshells right now and it’s driving me off the wall! Lucifer we need you to snap everyone out of this stupor, it’s like a big dark cloud is over the house, darker than usual and it’s giving me wrinkles.” I should care…they are my brothers…but I am just like my father…I only hurt them.

“Move over Asmo!” I heard another voice and was pulled to a sitting position to face Mammon who had a very angry expression on his face.

“And just what do ya think ya doin’ Lucifer?! Ya gonna lay here and rot while life goes on around ya! This ain’t the Lucifer I know, this ain’t my brother!! He would brush himself off and go business as usual! He wouldn’t lay around like a weak little kitten drowning in self-pity and Demonus!!”

“You are all perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves…you never needed me.” He punched me in the face and I went straight into the floor, before I could think he kicked me in the ribs.

“Mammon stop!!”

“What are you doing?!”

“So you just gonna turn ya back on us huh?! After all the shit ya gave me, all the punishments and the reports I had to write and all those damned lectures, you let a skirt hurt your feelings and ya want to turn your back on ya family?! So she said some shit ya probably believe, so she hurt ya feelins! She’s hurt everyone’s feelins at one point in time! Ya aint the only one who loved her, the only difference between us and you is ya got to fuck her!” I took his legs out from under him and punched him in his head. We wrestled around for a few moments before he had me pinned. Have I really gotten this weak? Mammon has never had the upper hand before.

“Ya ain’t the only one who lost Lilith either!! Ya think we couldn’t have stopped her too? Ya think we weren’t there watchin’ too?! We all had to deal with what we did and didn’t do, ya ain’t special!!” He hit me again and I could see the feet of the rest of them once again they were watching me be humiliated.

“We all had to deal with it, so get over it!! If ya got regrets get in line cuz we ain’t vacationin’ in Devildom this place is our home! And ya ain’t nothin’ like Pops cuz if ya we’re, we woulda left ya ass a long time ago! But we stick by ya cuz you’re our brother, cuz we know ya look out for us!! So snap the hell out of it!!” I knocked him off me and kicked him right in his chest knocking the wind out of him. I stood and looked to the others who waited quietly and expectantly…all but Satan who was nowhere to be found.

“Asmo, what is Diavolo’s ETA?”

“I say maybe twenty minutes.”

“Good, Beel put on some tea and Levi get the cookies I hid away to give to him while he waits. I will be right down.” I took a step and saw the relief in my brothers faces, in honesty, I felt it myself.

“You are all standing here gawking at me I trust your chores are complete, if I inspect the chandelier and I find a speck of dust you will all be hanging from it!” They scattered and I knelt to my oldest younger brother and offered him a hand up.

“I thought ya needed some tough love.”

“Mammon you can be an utter idiot at times but I can always trust you to step up when I need you.” I pulled him in for a hug and he embraced me for a moment.

“Good to see some much needed respect around here! Now go take a shower, ya smell like a homeless barhop.” I laughed as I patted his shoulder and then gripped it tight making him flinch.

“Don’t think I didn’t realize those shots you took were you getting back at me.”

“Eep…uhh, what’s that Levi, ya need my help?! I gotta go Lucifer, chores an all!” I quickly showered and dressed, by the time I walked downstairs one would believe nothing had happened and I felt absolutely fine. In truth I did still feel the crushing weight but there was no more time for self-pity. I had neglected my duties for three days and it was time I picked up the pieces and kept moving.

“Lucifer, good to see you, glad to see you’re feeling better.” Diavolo stood in my study with outstretched hands, but I didn’t expect her to be sitting in the other spare seat. I was not going to let her believe she hurt me, I would rather be absolved than give her the satisfaction. I sat down and when I saw her face I was taken aback, she had been crying. She looked even worse than I had been, and even now she refused to meet my eyes and she wrung her hands. Did she feel guilt for her words?

“Alright so there has been a lot going on over the past three days, but I have a matter to brush over first. I was…briefed about what has been going on in this house. Lucifer…I cannot say that I am surprised, but I don’t approve of what you’ve done. The only reason why I don’t see it fit to punish anyone for it is because Barbatos told me that the attic is the best place for him right now.” We both looked at him confused, what did Barbatos know about this?

“He has been talking to Barbatos for a number of weeks and he confided in me that he never spoke of where Kiomè was because this was the best outcome for him. If you didn’t keep him there then that young demon would be gone by now, if you didn’t come back when Barbatos called you about the documents…It was all for the best, so I forgive it.” I saw the tears that slowly slid down her cheeks and I passed her a tissue. There was an odd sense of deja vu in that moment. I did this very thing when she cried a year ago, when I hurt her the first time. The very thought of it squeezed my chest tighter and I forced myself to hold the tissue there until she took it in her own hand and whispered a hoarse thank you.

“That being said, he does have to make up a lot of work and exams if he is to pass, he is still an exchange student and his scores are imperative for the program. So I hope you will see to it.” I glanced at her and she looked away from me with a lowered head.

“I can get it done Diavolo.”

“And that is fine with you Jetèa?”

“Yes Sir…”

“Alright, good! Now onto more pressing matters, the jury made their decision this morning!”

“They did?!”

“What did they say?!”

“Well a lot of evidence pointed to Elizaveta being the culprit and even the surveillance cameras put her in those halls during the time of the security breech. However with Riley’s account along with the ones made by the ones you and the brothers interviewed Jetèa, we found that the it is much more probable that all of these students were infected by a touch and not a pact. Now it was confirmed that Azrael transferred pure energy into those students and that was what triggered the infection, however we have found that such a thing cannot be done by anyone else but another angel. Since Luke was not involved we have to assume that Azrael infected all of these students.”

“But what about the ruling?”

“And what about the corruption?”

“That is the thing, the basis of Eliza’s arrest was the fact that majority of the infected students were in pacts with Solomon who is tied to her. it was first believed that the information from the files was used to form the pacts with the students and that was the path of the infection. But if the pacts had nothing to do with it then it is fallible to believe that the files were stolen for that reason.”

“And if the files and pacts are unrelated to the infections…”

“Then it means that the entire act had nothing to do with Azrael.”

“The only thing they could get her for was the security breech, they found her not guilty of the corruption.” We sighed in relief, I don’t know why it didn’t alarm me though, we still don’t have all the answers.

“Now she will serve a week still for the breech and Solomon has been released because there wasn’t much else on him to need to detain him further. But it seems everything may finally be put behind us.”

“But who corrupted Azrael?” Tèa looked at us in panic and I didn’t blame her, this put the angels back at square one. Would they be looking our way yet again?

“Honestly, it’s no longer our problem.” We continued our discussion and stepped out to lead Diavolo out who seemed to walk on air while we had lead shoes.

“Lucifer I am still in need of that report from yesterday I hope you haven’t forgotten it.”

“Of course not, you will have it shortly.”

“Good, I’ll see you guys later!” He walked away so happily, while I was hyperaware of the woman I loved standing right behind me in awkward silence.

“I have work to do, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Lucifer…” Why did I stop walking, why did I turn to her?

“I…I didn’t mean it…I was so horrible to you…you didn’t deserve those words not ever.”

“I threatened your family, I wouldn’t expect any less of you Be…Tèa, I knew there would be consequences, and I am ready to accept them.” Would I take her back after something like this, should I? It was all my own fault, would she forgive me even if I chose to?

“Even so, you didn’t deserve that, I thought I left that vicious side of me behind. If I can tear apart my family like this…”

“You were angry, again I do not blame you.” She sighed, she wanted to say more but hesitated. Damn it all, if putting my pride aside would fix things…

“Tèa, I am deeply sorry for betraying your trust the way I have. There is no excuse for the foulness I have shown you in my deceit and I ask your forgiveness.” She looked at me confused, had she not expected an apology? If I had only apologized to her before instead of being defensive things may have changed.

“Thank you for your apology, I know that was hard for you to do. And I thank you for your kindness towards my baby brother and saving his life, but our behavior towards each other was inexcusable.”

“Tèa…”

“I will let you get to work then.” She looked away and I know the conversation was over. I suppose this was well beyond repair after all. I walked around her and went to my room to gather the pile of paperwork I had neglected. Maybe I can revert back to old habits to drown out this feeling in my heart.

J

He apologized to me but I just couldn’t find it in my heart to forgive him, or myself. If I was so despicable that I would betray him like that I was no better than he was when he hid my brother from me. I was worse, I took his deepest insecurities and not only attacked him with them but I did it in front of his brothers, I publicly humiliated him and it was uncalled for! If I was willing to do that then I don’t deserve him. What’s worse is that now I fear the other brothers are less than happy with me as well; Beel has been the only one to speak to me ever since the whole thing went down and I wonder just how angry they were with me.

I heard talking deeper into the house and I found them in the music room, I stayed against the wall just beyond the doorway listening to what they had to say.

“So are you saying that we should have given her a piece of our mind?”

“I’m just saying she took it way too far, she had no right to bring Lilith into it and she knew that! There were plenty of other ways to hurt him but that wasn’t the right way to go!”

“You say that Belphie but you would have cheered her on a few years back when it was you locked up there. Don’t think I forgot how angry you were, I was angry too he lied then just like he lied about this!”

“Yeah, I mean she was pissed doncha think if I took Asmo and locked him away like a criminal and told ya all he ran off ya’ll be mad at me too?”

“But Lilith had nothing to do with it, she had no right!”

“She just wanted to hurt him, and she succeeded.”

“She threw her and Pops in his face, damn…”

“But I get why she’s mad too, he lied to all of us, and who knows how much school Kio’s missed?”

“He might fail this year.”

“Which is bad for the program he fights for.”

“Irony incarnate.”

“What was he thinking?”

“Neither of them were thinking, they acted because they were mad and now it’s a big mess! I have no idea if he’ll forgive her for that fiasco.”

“Or her him.” I couldn’t take any more, instead of going in I went to find a quiet place to think and stumbled into the library. Satan sat in the chair reading as though he were the only one not bothered by the mess I made.

“Hey Satan.”

“Jetèa.”

“How are you doing tod-”

“What exactly are you doing in here? What do you hope to get out of this?” He was very snippy, I’m guessing whatever happened between him and my brother had left him in a foul mood as well.

“I just wanted someone to talk to, I think I need advice.”

“Do you expect me to be the one to give it to you? I think you are either lying about what you are looking for or you are looking in the wrong place.”

“Satan…I thought we were friends.” He looked at me with darkened eyes and sighed.

“I think I’m through with having friends, they only bring noise and wasted time.” I noticed the kitten who had grown bigger climb into Satan’s lap and begin to purr as he stroked her head.

“She’s getting big, how old is she now?”

“About six months maybe, I’ve only had her for two or so…” I saw his face change and he turned it away from me.

“What the hell do you want?!” He was hurting and trying to hide it, I guess I triggered a memory.

“I think everyone hates me, they are whispering about me, torn about what I said to Lucifer. In honesty I’m torn myself, I don’t know if he would ever forgive me or if I even deserve it. At the same time I’m still angry at him, but I still love him so much. It’s like even though everything wants me to be angry at him I feel more angry at myself for throwing away what I had. I may have lost everyone important to me…” He kept his eyes on his book and didn’t make a sound. Maybe coming to him was a mistake, he was the last one I should talk to about broken hearts or love.

“Are…we still friends Satan?”

“I gave you that answer already, now when you’re done, you can leave.” Definite mistake, I turned and left to go back to the dorms, I suppose my place was no longer with them.

K

“So who do you think is taking it harder in this situation?”

“That is a stupid and unfair question to ask.”

“I want to know your mindset.”

“He’s taking it harder, he keeps coming to me with his feelings and I kept turning him away. I kept hurting him, and then I let him think I was dead and I gave in to him before hurting him yet again. That’s why he broke everything off with me, he can’t have anything to do with me without something going wrong.”

“But you told him the truth, do you believe it went better because of that?”

“If I didn’t speak up, I would have gotten into a relationship with him knowing I couldn’t love him fully. We would have been secretive and he would be okay with it at first until he would have to keep his hands off of me when we are in public, he would have to watch as mother brought girls over to meet me and stand by as they flirt. He would have to pretend we were only friends in front of my family and be extra careful behind closed doors. He would become resentful when I flirt with girls and angry when I reprimand his public displays of affection…I would wear him down, he would be happy to have me but I would be holding back the one thing he really needed and that is the warmth. It’s why I wrote that piece for him, the raven smiled in getting the moon instead of the sun as it died. It was still dying cold and alone but at least it got to have some light…I want to bring sunlight into his life, if I love him now, he will be no better off than that raven.” He looked over my notebook and nodded.

“Yes and that was a very beautiful way you illustrated it, you have a gift for showing others what it is you are feeling, if only you could do it for yourself.”

“Well don’t flick me again, I didn’t write it down because I want it to be genuine, I know anything I write to myself right now will be some bull that I would say to just make myself feel better, it won’t be real..”

“Very good, you’re learning. Now how are you feeling about it all?”

“Like garbage, because I had a nervous breakdown I made Lucifer take my DDD. If that didn’t happen, Tèa wouldn’t have went off on him and broke up with him I also wouldn’t have ever spoken to Satan either. I hear that everyone is a mess and it’s all because of me.”

“Come now, you said you were here to be accountable for your actions not others around you. You didn’t put yourself up here and you didn’t tell her to say those things.”

“I guess you’re right.” Still it was me attacking everyone that made Lucifer put me here in the first place…

“Now you do realize that you will have to return to school soon.”

“I don’t want to leave.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t up to me, you do need to socialize long enough to get your studies completed. You are very far behind and I’m afraid you will have to face them sooner rather than later.” I hated the idea of seeing Sae again knowing he didn’t want anything to do with me, I hated the thought of seeing anyone again, I was grateful for the others kind welcomes and chats from time to time but too much and I felt overloaded.

“That’s just great…”

“I must be off, I will see you on Thursday this time in the Demon Lords Mansion.”

“This is going way too fast, how do I know I can go out there without another meltdown?”

“You fail 100% of tests you don’t take Kiomè, I wouldn’t agree if I didn’t think you could.” He was gone in a flash and I felt anxious again. I had to leave the attic, I had to go to school? I had to face everyone again?

“Kiomè, sorry I haven’t been by to check on you.”

“Lucifer? I…didn’t expect you to show, how are you doing?” He sat a stack of papers down and slid onto the floor beside me, I could see the bags under his eyes, he was not doing well at all.

“I don’t really want to answer that, what about you?”

“Same here. Your balls hurt don’t they? I can tell by the way you came in that she got to you.”

“Yes…I didn’t think she would attack me that way. She even said I was just like my own father.”

“Ouch, I told you she plays dirty, the minute she feels you betrayed her it’s like she becomes a different person. She used to bully our baby sister but that was superficial, that came from jealousy, she was a bitch sure, but she didn’t do anything super heinous until she made her run away. But it was me telling our parents what she did that changed everything, she left Lai alone entirely and went for me. I betrayed her trust, I betrayed my family and for that I deserved every low blow she could come up with. She got in my head and pulled out every insecurity I had and used them against me, beat me black, blue and bloody knowing I would only heal the wounds and lie for her. Knowing I wouldn’t raise my hand against her because I didn’t want to be disloyal again. But really it was because I felt I deserved it.”

“You were only ten years old…there is no way you deserved that.”

“But the thing is I know my sister inside and out, she felt bad for what she had done over and over, but she used the anger from her own bullies to lash out at me. She kept reminding herself that I was a traitor and I deserved it, but really she was using me to cope with her own pain and loneliness. One day she truly saw what she was doing to me and stopped and it took years for me to forgive that, her stopping that is, because I thought that as long as she beat and belittled me I had a purpose, I was something of importance and when she stopped I became nothing. But really she just realized that she didn’t want to hurt me anymore and I’ll always love her for coming to that conclusion on her own.” He listened quietly, I always loved my sister but I could never trust her. But it didn’t mean that no one else could either.

“She wants so much to be the one to save me when I’m not hers to save. She has to learn that she cannot control every aspect of my life be it making me suffer or making me smile. I have to deal with myself, myself and that is why I’m here. But you are different.”

“How do you mean?”

“You and her are a lot of the same, cut from the same cloth so to speak, you can’t control everything your brothers do either, sometimes they have to mess up to learn.”

“But what if I lose them again?”

“I get it, Sae told me about what happened to Lilith and it’s horrible. But if you don’t give them room to grow they will only grow to resent you. I’m only speaking from my own experience but I don’t think anyone wants to be controlled.”

“I understand.” It was silent and I looked at him again, he was lost in thought.

“She still loves you, you know.”

“Truly?”

“Yeah, her pride and guilt are keeping her from forgiving you. She wants to tell you that she wants to take everything back but she won’t forgive herself enough to deserve it. She also feels that doing so will mean that what you did was okay and she doesn’t want to look like one of those weak females that always crawls back.”

“Why are you telling me this? Weren’t you angry at her doing the same thing, getting involved?”

“Yes but see I’m the younger sibling, according to her I don’t know how to control myself. To her, it’s in my nature to do anything to embarrass her. Why make her into a liar?”

“Clever.”

“But in truth I know she is happy with you. And I like you, we’re good friends again, it would hurt if you didn’t become one of the clan. I really see you as my big brother.”

“It took a while, but I can say I agree with you.”

“Yeah…” It was weird, a couple months ago I hated him and he me, he locked me in here and said I was nothing to him but now we had a bond again and I was grateful for it, it seemed his would be the only bond I would really have.

“I came here to tell you that you will be going back to school tomorrow. I have discussed the situation with your teachers and as long as you are willing to apply yourself they will work with you on getting back on track.”

“Tomorrow?? You couldn’t give me more time than that to process this?”

“I was only told this today, it cannot be helped.” I wasn’t liking this at all, I hated the thought of being dropped back into the general population with hardly a warning, just a few days ago I had resigned myself to being here the rest of my life.

“I guess.”

“We both know you couldn’t stay here forever, this would happen sooner or later. Try to cheer up, you are free whenever you please.” No, I’m not free, not by a long shot. I’m still trapped by my insecurities and my fears. I’m trapped within my own mind and I don’t think I can handle dealing with others as well.

“I guess so, but I don’t think being cheerful is going to help things.” I looked to the table at his papers again and back at him.

“You came to keep me company?”

“More like the other way around, I have a lot of work to do and I believe an unbiased companion is what I need right now.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m unbiased, I just don’t care.” He laughed and patted my shoulder as he stood. He took a chair at the table and pulled the top sheet of paper off the stack.

“How about I play you a song while you work? Maybe it’ll get our minds off of this mess we made.” He didn’t turn around as he picked up his pen but I could hear the faint smile in his voice.

“I would like that.” I began to play a soft, slightly mournful melody as I imagined a raven lay dying on the forest floor smiling at the light of the moon.


	15. Tensions Spike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final exams are under way but that is not the only thing everyone is worried about, the strained and severed ties cause tensions to rise and boil over just as something dark looms over the gang.

Part 4 Chapter 15

J

“Tèa you should just go to the others and talk to them, we aren’t going to bite you.”

“But I was horrible, I said really mean and hateful things and I know Belphie must be mad at me. Satan outright told me we were no longer friends so I am a little hesitant to believe you when you say that Beel.” We walked the halls together as we talked, our other classmates were all abuzz with the jury’s decision just a few days ago and if it weren’t for my life currently being a mess I would be thinking about it too.

“Satan is being a grouch to everyone these days, don’t mind him, and Belphie understands that you were just mad. We were all just surprised that you could be that ruthless, I never expected you to hurt Lucifer that way no matter what happened.”

“But you still talk to me.”

“Yeah, I told you a while back that there was nothing you could do or say that would change my mind about you, I’ve done worse. And the others don’t hate you, just give everyone a chance, we need something to be normal again.” I thought about that, things have been far from normal. I hadn’t spoken to Lucifer in another six days and he made no effort to contact me either. My bed felt so cold without him around and my heart felt so broken knowing he wouldn’t be there to lift my spirits. I hurt him and broke up with him, i couldn’t just go back on that now could i?

“And Besides Kio has been back in class and he’s been doing pretty okay, I’m surprised you haven’t been hanging with him too.”

“We are on good terms again, but I don’t want to ruin his progress with my crummy mood.” He slowed down a bit and I noticed he gripped the strap of his bag tighter.

“I hate seeing you so sad, I always loved your smile.”

“You’re too sweet Beel, but I’m just not in the mood to really smile.”

“Well… what can I do to make you feel better?”

“You being by my side, that always makes me feel better I don’t know where I would be without you Beel.” He turned sharply looking at me with intensity before taking my hand and pulling me to an empty room.

“Listen, I know you and Lucifer are going to get back together, you two have to be together, you need each other. But…” He brushed my hair back and my heart thudded.

“What are you doing?!!” He took my chin and lifted it as he looked deep in my eyes.

“This is my only chance, the only chance I will ever have to know.” He pressed his lips to mine and it amazed me how gentle he was for his size, he pulled me closer and tasted my mouth and I was so stunned I didn’t even know how to react. He pulled back after only a moment and looked at me as though deep in thought.

“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!”

“I just wanted to know if having that kiss would mean something. I expected you to slap me honestly.” Why didn’t I slap him? Maybe because I was so confused, one minute we talk about all of us being back together and next his tongue is in my throat.

“Did…did you feel anything?” I slowly shook my head but he didn’t seem surprised or offended to my relief.

“What about you?”

“It was nice…but it just didn’t feel right, like eating a pizza before it’s cooked all the way, it’s tasty still but it isn’t it’s best. I think…I love you, but in an odd way that doesn’t need the physical stuff.”

“You mean platonically?”

“Is that what it means? I enjoy holding you and everything about you but… that didn’t feel right.”

“Pity, I’m sure you would have been good to her.” No…oh no…why of all places?!

“Lucifer, what are you doing in here?!” He replaced the textbook back to the shelf and grabbed his bag as he looked at the two of us.

“This was my previous class, I was simply reviewing the chapter while I had a free period.” I felt my heart go into a panic as I approached him, hands shaking.

“Luci, I’m so sorry, I’m-”

“a free agent, it’s none of my business now is it?” He brushed past me and I turned to run after him.

“Lucifer stop!!” He slowed for only a moment but kept going and I felt even more defeated.

“I made things worse…I’m so sorry…Levi said that maybe if he was pushed into jealousy he would snap out of it. I wanted to try…because I never had a chance with you. He said that in this one anime he watched the guy had broken up with the girl and she went to her best guy friend and kissed him in front of her ex and he went crazy and grabbed her and said that she belonged to him and it was all fixed.”

“Beel sweetie…this is real life not some story. I…I don’t know what to say right now, I don’t know whether to be mad right now or worried.” He bowed his head like a scolded puppy, he was trying to help but it was not going to be that simple.

“I’m sorry.”

“Remember your dream about everything being on fire?”

“Yeah.”

“I see it starting, I’m going to talk to him today no matter what, I can’t take this anymore!” The warning bell rang for us to get to class and I felt torn, there was no way he would be tardy just to speak to me right now. I would have to find him later; I just hope everyone else was having a better day than I was.

L

She was no longer mine, she was a free agent and yet I felt myself fall into a jealous rage. My brothers were always mischievous but they pounced on her like vultures! Beel actually took her into a classroom he knew I would be in and kissed her in front of me! But then she was free, I had no claim and she made that clear…not if I were the last being in the universe she said… her words burned inside me. But once again I could feel something else burning, my back felt like it was on fire and I suddenly couldn’t stand without leaning on something. I had been having these bouts of fatigue and pain for the past several days and it was like they were becoming more progressive. I had truthfully been reading over the spells and potions in that classroom to find a type of cure. None of them would be concerned with the triviality of my sudden ailment and in any case I needed less of the talk in the house to be about me. But today it seemed to be more excruciating than normal and I found myself dragging along the wall. I just had to get to class and get in my seat and all would be fine.

“Why Lucifer, how are you doing today? You don’t look very well…”

“Riley, I don’t have time for you, why are you even on this campus?”

“I came to see you actually, you know Eliza will be out tomorrow and I want to do something to celebrate her release. I think we owe that to her.”

“Don’t you have friends to consort this matter with?”

“Well I do, but I would figure that since you are vice president of the student council you would have more pull. I think it would be the least we could so for nearly putting her to death. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am fine, I will speak on it in the council meeting but I will make no promises, now is there anything else?” He looked at me curiously and shrugged his shoulders.

“No, I guess not, and if you say you’re okay then I will take your word for it, have a good day.” How does that human keep finding himself on these grounds? I waited for him to be gone before I knelt down to rest and catch my breath. Good, the pain is subsiding, now I can get to class before the last bell.

 _Ring ring….ring ring…_ My DDD was going off and it seemed to be from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“So you do answer, and here I thought you would have put some spell on it to keep me from calling.” As if my day could not get worse, my father calls me.

“What business do you have with me, the trial is over and so is this call!”

“Now hold-“ I hung up and just as I put the device away he was standing right in front of me.

“I wouldn’t expect you to learn any manners living here with a bunch of demons now would I? But at the very least you could hear me out before being so rude.”

“What do you want from me, I figured after that last chat you would finally let me suffer my damnation in peace.” He adjusted his tie as he chuckled, a rainbow shimmering within his pale eyes.

“Far from it, in fact there is a matter I would like to speak to you about, where is your fiancé, I would love to see her again.”

“That is none of your concern!” he could tell from my tone that something was wrong and sighed.

“Now Lucifer, are you truly going to let your pride ruin your life yet again? But then you are no longer in my care; what matters now is that you follow me.”

“And if I don’t?” He face became more serious and he crossed his arms.

“Oh believe me, you will want to hear what I have to say.” Wonderful, simply wonderful.

K

_Question eight: when a frightened human is surprised to see a demon appear out of nowhere the best practice is to?: Greet the human with a kind smile, show them you are not a threat and offer a truthful introduction. This will make you seem honest and therefore trustworthy._

This exam wasn’t too entirely bad, the six days of cramming were certainly doing their job and it was like this was second nature to me. However I wasn’t liking that this was also the class I shared with Satan. He sat next to me like he always had and for the most part he pretends I’m not here, in fact, he made it his mission to let me know he was ignoring me. Today I just tried to make myself as small as possible in my seat and try to ignore the sweet smell of sugar and cinnamon that seem to waft from him, it seems he had apple pie with his lunch today…I wonder if the taste still lingered on his tongue…damn it, focus on the test!

_Question ten, what is the Latin word for Curse?: Imprecatio, this word has been used since the beginning when foul tricks were played on villagers by demons to make mischief in Italy in 2144bd._

_Question eleven: When casting a curse, what is the best practice to make sure it is effective? : Keep your tone fluid and even, do not distribute energy in an uneven way that could cause the curse to become out of control._

I tried desperately not to look in his direction but I heard him sigh beside me as he turned the page and went on. He was always on top of his game when it came to studying, it used to be so much fun doing it together. I kept telling myself that this break off was better for the both of us, but in reality this was torture, I craved the very smell of him and just sitting beside him gave me butterflies. Why was I such a coward, I should be able to stand up in this classroom and shout my love for him to everyone. But I can’t utter a whisper, that’s why he pretends I don’t exist.

“Alright class now we will break off to our assigned partners and conduct the oral part of the seductive speech craft.” Oh…nooo…Satan had been my partner from day one, but now with this-

“Excuse me Ms. Lenix, but I would like to be assigned another partner.” Ouch…he didn’t even want to try, I mean I guess I get it. This would be incredibly awkward given the circumstances.

“You are to complete the assignment with the partner assigned to you in the beginning of the year, if you cannot do that then you shall take a failing grade for this portion of the exam.”

“Then I would like to take the F please.” Double ouch.

“Geez Kio what did you do to Satan?”

“I bet he cheated on him or something.”

“Explains him being gone for months.” The teacher banged her cane onto the floor and the class was silent again.

“Satan the oral presentation is forty percent of the exams grade, if you fail this portion you fail the entire exam. The exam is also thirty eight percent of your entire grade for the class. I know you can do the math.” He will basically fail if he doesn’t do this, once again I put him in a horrible position.

“I understand ma’am.” He stood, his chair sliding back angrily as everyone got up and paired off. He leaned against the table with his arms crossed glaring irritably at the floor, I stood across from him, just two feet away and even when he looked so mad I wanted to hold him. He was hurting and I wanted to comfort him, but instead I had to seduce him for a test when I was the last person he wanted to be around.

“So, do you want to go first or…” His glare made me jump a little and I shut up right away. He smirked as he pushed off of the table and leaned close to me his eyes drilling into me like floodlights in murky water.

“You must think you’re so smart, making me want you like this. Making me crave every bit of you and then playing a tease; you push me away because you are ashamed…ashamed to love a demon.” I hadn’t even realized that he was doing his part of the exam until I saw the teacher and other classmates watching from my peripheral. My heart nearly gave out as he slid his hand up my neck and to the back of my head. He leaned into me putting his other hand on the desk behind me, he looked at me with so much desire.

“But I don’t want you to be ashamed of me, ashamed of what you know to be right. You don’t know how special you are to make me desire you so passionately, to make you mine and mine alone. You ensnared my heart Kio, and now I am entangled in all that you are.” He brushed his lips along my cheek and I felt them go hot as his grip on my hair got tighter. His voice was so low and sultry that it tingled every nerve ending and made my hair stand on end.

“Your soul is so beautiful, so dark and yet so brilliant, I can see the danger in you and yet I am so drawn by that light. Why would you keep such a thing from me, pull me in to push me away? You do not need to be afraid because my heart is now tethered to you, I would never harm you nor betray you.” Was he speaking from the heart right now? Was he trying to tell me something? I wanted so much for that to be the case. He brushed his lips so close to mine I was sure he would kiss me right here, I didn’t see anyone else in this moment all I felt was the intense heat in my body.

“As shy as I am, I will be bold enough to say that I want you Kio, I want you to be mine. Give yourself to me, give me that light inside you and I will be yours forever, give you all that you desire be it money fame or prestige. Simply ask me and it will be yours, say it, tell me what you desire and I will give it to you, I want to give it to you.” He held his mouth over mine and I was so close to closing the distance when I heard the applause. He backed away, the coldness back in his eyes while everyone in class saw just how badly I was blushing.

“That was hot.”

“Satan always wins this one!”

“Kio looks like he has the hots for Satan now!”

“Damn now I really have to think of a better approach.” They continued to applaud and I noticed he was turning to leave class altogether! If I can’t do my portion, I fail and he would do that on purpose?! Hell no! I grabbed him by his jacket and threw him to the floor and threw myself over him looking deep into his eyes that carried so much anger, good, I had an act to follow and I wanted a good starting point.

“Do you think you get to just leave, after taking my heart the way you did; a small fragile human? You think you can leave with my heart and I not follow?” He softened a bit when he realized what I was doing and the class fell silent again. I brushed his hair tenderly and unlike him, I decided to speak from the heart.

“Don’t you realize…how much you’ve driven me madly in love with you? Don’t you realize that you’ve already made me yours? I, a demon of power am left helpless and weak by the very sight of you, the way you gaze at me in the far off distance, the way you smile and the way you sing sets my own soul ablaze.” I ran my thumb along his bottom lip and leaned closer to him, letting him feel my breath against his ear.

“How can I not want you, how can I not be completely smitten by your gorgeous soul and your beauty? You are everything I could ever hope to have, you are more valuable to me than my many years of life.” I brushed my lips against his neck to his cheek and I saw how he reddened under my touch. I ran my fingers though his hair and said these next words with purpose.

“I am but a servant of yours my love, I want to give you everything I am and ever will be. I will be anything you wish of me, if you would only give me that very part of you, that delicate soul that is like living fire…I need that fire to survive Sae…it is more precious than the air I breathe. You, are more precious than the air I breathe and though I may sound foolish to admit it, but though I came to seduce you, I have been placed completely under your spell.” I heard his breath catch as I whispered in his ear and I had to make these last words count.

“Please my love, I cannot take your silence, tell me that you wish to be mine as I am yours. Give me all that you are, body, mind spirit and destiny and I will give you the same in return. I will give you all you desire, I will give you everything you deserve, just tell me that you love me too and give yourself to me. I cannot live without you.” The class waited as Satan looked deeply at me and suddenly turned his head in disgust.

“If you cannot live without me, then you may as well just die now.” The many ooohhs from the classmates made my dual defeat that much more audible.

“Wow, I was sure he had him!”

“That delivery was a hell of a lot better than what I came up with!”

“Yeah but it seemed a little needy.”

“That’s insane, and Satan turned him down flat!”

“I’m Sorry Kiomè, you’re delivery was unique and your choice of words was intriguing but you failed to seduce him, it was the whole reason you were assigned a partner so you would know them just as a demon would get to know a human. I’m afraid I will only be able to give you a fifth of the credit on this portion.” I failed the oral presentation…which means even if I aced the rest of it I pretty much failed the exam. I had him I could see it! He shoved me off and grabbed his bag to leave. I was in shock and then I became angry! I followed him out and spotted him walking in the empty hallway.

“You did that on purpose!!!” He stopped and turned, he looked like he could care less that I was even upset.

“You failed, that is your fault not mine.”

“You wanted to sabotage me from the beginning, you tried to leave before I could even do my part! That’s why you went first, because you needed the grade and you decided to screw me over at the same time! I failed the class!!” He looked at me nonchalantly but I did notice something was off in his stance, he looked…like he was in physical pain.

“Maybe the honor student needed taken down a peg or maybe he was overconfident. It doesn’t matter to me either way, I have my grade, yours is on you.”

“What the hell man? Why are you treating me this way, I am not your enemy!!”

“Well you certainly aren’t my friend now are you?”

“That was your choice!!”

“NO!! You made that decision when you decided to keep playing games with me!!” He staggered a little and I knew I wasn’t imagining it.

“Sae, what is the matter with you?”

“Leave me alone Kio…” He dropped his bag and clutched his shoulder painfully and I closed the distance between us.

“What happened, what’s wrong?!” I tried to hold him up but he shoved me away from him.

“Don’t touch me!”

“Something is obviously wrong with you, are you hurt?!”

“What do you care?” He fell to his knees and I grabbed him again, there was something very wrong here, he even had an almost sour smell to him. Was he ill, did he take a potion that wasn’t right? Could someone have cursed him?

“Dammit…it’s the same as last time…” His breathing was haggard and he was so pale. I felt his forehead and for just a moment he rested it on my chest and then he shoved me with the same force he did when we were in that stairwell.

“I said to get away from me!!” I stood shakily trying to control my emotions, there was something very wrong here.

“Sae just let me get you to the nurse, stop it!” He pulled himself up and grabbed his bag as the bell rang and students poured into the halls. They saw the confrontation and instantly gathered as we stared each other down.

“Stay away from me Kio, I mean it!”

“Let me help you, you’re acting like such an asshole!! I didn’t do anything to deserve this kind of hatred!”

“Oh you didn’t?!! You think you can spit on me time and again and I not react this way?!”

“I told you what I did because I care about you; I was only thinking of you and what you deserve!!”

“You care about what I really want?”

“Yes!!”

“If you really care about me then say it, tell all our classmates right here and now why we’re fighting! Tell them why you failed your exam, tell them the truth and then I will forgive you!!” That was a dirty trick, he would really give me that kind of ultimatum, knowing how closeted I was, knowing that it was the cause of this whole mess we were in? Even if I wanted to come out it sure as hell wasn’t going to be this way, not by his demand and he knew that! So I just kept quiet.

“I didn’t fucking think so.” He turned to leave and I should have just let him go and get help, but that, that was not okay and I felt my anger spike.

“You don’t get to walk away from me Satan!!” I closed the distance and as he turned I punched him right in the face. Either his strength returned or I made him mad because he retaliated by tackling me to the floor and we wrestled each other violently. The other students yelled and jeered. Suddenly I felt strong hands pull me away from him.

“Hey, hey, boys that’s enough!! Stop it right now!” Diavolo held us apart at arm’s length looking over us with concern on his face.

“He started it!!”

“He hit me first!!”

“Okay, okay just calm down! Let’s go to my office right now, come on.” I hadn’t been back in school a full week and I get in trouble; I should never have left that attic.

L

“Just tell me what it is you want so that I can be on my way.” He Looked over the balcony to RAD and seemed to admire it for a moment before turning to me with a somber look.

“That witch, she comes back here tomorrow.”

“Yes I know, she has documents to fill out before we release her. Although I get the feeling that you have hard feelings about the turnout of the trial.”

“Of course I do, I lost a daughter and I have no answers to show for it, just several more questions.”

“Do you believe she is guilty?” He looked back out and sat on the stone bench behind him.

“That is the thing, I don’t. The jury brought up good points after that footage was released. It was a transfer of pure energy that caused the infections, and we as angels transfer them through touch. It seemed very consistent that if they were all under the same affliction then they were made that way by the same method. I know Luke, he would never do such a thing and neither would Azrael if she weren’t corrupted.”

“You still cast her out all the same.”

“If I had not, there would have been a diplomatic incident on my hands that we could not afford! She said in her crazed state that they were all a bunch of demons, who cares if they die! The daughter I knew would never have said that about any living creature! But I could not defend her stance so I had to cast her out! She claimed she was doing me a service but I never wished death on another being. I may have my opinions on them but that is a line I dare not cross!”

“Is that why you forbade Simeon from healing demons?”

“Without permission yes, you misunderstand, there is a diplomatic order that must be maintained when it comes to this peace this program calls for. But you miss my point and I am straying from the purpose of this chat. The witch was proven to have stolen the files from your school, however I feel that there are holes in that tale as well.”

“How so?”

“Now think of it, I had just said that only an angel could transfer the pure energy and that is through touch. But we see in the footage the person touching the students in the hall and they become infected.”

“That would mean that it couldn’t have been Elizaveta that had done the deed after all?!”

“I caught that just before they gave their decision, but you see we had so much evidence that wanted to point at her and yet it seemed to make no sense at all.” No it didn’t make sense, it all started with the pacts and then it was proven that the infections were not connected to pacts at all. So many claimed they had them with her and yet they never associated with Azrael, there was nothing that connected the two girls at all.

“Could it have been Azrael that had stolen the files after all?”

“I do not know, they only convicted her because we could not find her in any other footage that day to check her alibi. But Lucifer, you are missing the important question. Who was it that corrupted my daughter in the first place? And if it wasn’t the witch then it is very likely that individual is still among you.” That was something that has slipped my mind, but I was under the impression that however she was corrupted would not have had the intelligence nor the patience to devise a plan as she did.

“We had nothing to do with it!” He looked over at me and stood to look over the balcony again. He stretched his seven pairs of pure white wings as though waking up from a deep slumber.

“What is your definition of ‘we’ Lucifer? This place is full of evil, I would say it would be arrogant even for you to say none of them had anything to do with it.” He turned to leave and he stopped for only a moment to pluck a feather that was loose.

“Sometimes when you see a feather that is far gone, the kind thing to do is pluck it out and discard it. A branch not producing fruit is to be pruned so not to turn the whole tree. Such a philosophy has been my moral ground for many millennia and I stand by that philosophy wholeheartedly. Maybe, Lucifer, you should adopt it.”

“Why should I?” He let the feather float to me where I caught it, turning it pitch black from my touch.

“Because, I have a feeling someone is going to uproot your tree entirely. If you do not cast the branch away, everyone you care for will undoubtedly perish.” He left and I looked over RAD thinking on my fathers’ words and then crushing the feather to dust.


	16. Never Trust an innocent Smile in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clues fall together as Lucifer and Diavolo go over the details of the prior year. Jetea jumps into action as one of the brothers comes down with a terrifyingly familiar illness.

Part 4 Chapter 16

J

I cannot believe you Kio, you haven’t been back for a full week and you get in trouble for fighting! If it wasn’t Diavolo that broke you two apart then the consequences would be much worse! Why didn’t you call me or say anything sooner?” I looked over my brothers’ face as we sat on his bed to see if there were any marks but of course there wouldn’t be.

“I have to do ten hours of community service as well as detention for two weeks, I don’t see how it could get much worse. And why would I need to tell you about it, I never needed to rely on you for anything before; not that this was I case for it anyway.” He looked away from me as he sighed, apparently he and Satan had gotten into a confrontation that got physical. The whole school buzzed about a fight but I didn’t know until the next day that it was those two.

“I’m your sister, you are supposed to be able to tell me things. Like for instance what happened?” He sighed again and pulled his knees to his chest, he looked so uncomfortable being in his own room again. I suppose I wouldn’t blame him, it’s possible he felt a sense of security in his isolation; neither of us were doing well with our recent changes.

“We had an exam, I was doing well but then we were supposed to complete the oral part of the seductive speech craft and Satan and I have been partners since the beginning of the year.”

“Oh no…”

“I’m not sure if he was telling me the truth when he said what he did, but it felt really real. And so I gave it all I had as well, and I saw it in his eyes, he felt it too. But he turned me down flat and I failed the assignment, the exam and the class. I had never failed a class before and he did it on purpose!” I could tell he was angry and yet he didn’t escalate like he would have in the beginning of the year. Normally him going through something as extreme as failing a class would have made him into a savage and yet he is sitting beside me fuming but for the most part calm. Satan had worked wonders on him.

“And when I confronted him about it he acted like I had brought it on myself. He had the nerve to give me an ultimatum, said that if I said out loud the reason why we were fighting he would forgive me. He basically wanted me to come out in front of the whole school, the bastard! So yeah, I took a swing at him…” I held his hand as he told the story and I was upset but not surprised. Satan was the avatar of wrath after all and I wouldn’t put him above being petty considering how he toys with Lucifer; but making Kio fail a class on purpose as well as putting him in that position, that was low.

“So…you’re accepting it now?”

“Yeah…I’m Bi…I can’t fight it so I may as well accept it. I have a lot I still need to accept about myself.” I hugged him and he smiled just a little.

“But I still don’t want to tell anyone else, and I’m terrified of what mother and father will think of me. He had no right to do that, but I get the exam part…he was getting back at me. I pull him in then push him back and he wasn’t having it anymore.”

“I wish I could say it will get better.”

“Yeah I know. Have you seen Lucifer, I have been looking for him all day and he’s disappeared.” I had come here to ask him where he was, I had been trying to find him since the incident yesterday but he was nowhere to be seen. Even the others hadn’t seen him and I was worried.

“No, I have been looking for him too, I thought he would be with you.” Even today’s council meeting was cancelled and Diavolo left abruptly, I don’t understand what is going on here.

“I need to talk to him, there is something wrong with Sae, I think he’s sick.”

“Sick how, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, not that he would tell me anyway.” He got up and grabbed his jacket with a sigh.

“Kio wait-“

“I have to go, I have therapy in twenty minutes and I don’t want to be flicked for being tardy.”

“O-okay…I’ll talk to you later then?” he turned and looked at me with questioning eyes and I lowered my own.

“For many years when I would look at you I would see my chubby-cheeked little brother who needed his Nee-chan; other times when I would look at you I would see the traitor that hurt me on purpose. Never have I been able to see you for who you truly are. I wasn’t ready for this grown up Kio. I knew you were someone who stood up for what he believed in and cared so much for others. But I wasn’t ready to see you be an adult and take care of yourself like this, you are more mature than I am at times. You are amazing.” He blushed a little and stammered.

“Yeah…come by later tonight okay?” I nodded and he left, this entire situation was odd for the both of us, most of all I wasn’t used to not having my brothers around to talk to. My transfers were well off on their own and I was lonelier than ever. I had asked them about Lucifer earlier but I was afraid to talk to them really but I suppose it wouldn’t be too hard to at least try. I knew Beel would be more than willing to keep me company and I sought him out first in the bedroom next door.

“Beel, are you here? Hey guys, how have you been?” Both Belphie and Beel sat on their beds looking rather disturbed before I entered and I wondered if I had interrupted anything.

“I thought you had flowers to attend to, does Barbatos know you’re skipping?”

“I have Mondays and Thursdays off, you know that Belphie, are you still mad at me?” He crossed his arms and stuck out his bottom lip, he could be such a brat sometimes. I hugged him close and pet his head as he chuckled.

“I can never stay mad at you, I just forget sometimes that you are just as much demon as the rest of us.”

“See, I told you Tèa.”

“So the other’s aren’t mad at me either?”

“I don’t think everyone is really mad at you more than everyone is just in a funk. Levi is in his room as always, Satan is being extra grouchy and Asmo and Mammon haven’t been well at all.”

“And no one see’s much of Lucifer to even get him to help with anything!”

“Wait, what’s wrong with Mammon and Asmo?” They looked at each other as I heard a horrifying scream and rushed over to Asmo’s room to find his room completely in disarray.

“Why, why, why can’t I find a single cream to get rid of this?!!” He was throwing bottles and jars, smashing them along the walls as he yelled and we had to dodge and duck just so we wouldn’t get struck by them.

“Asmo, what is the matter?”

“I haven’t seen you this out of control since you had that zit the day of last century’s spring formal.” Asmo burst from his personal bath with his hair an absolute mess and his eyes wild. His shirt hung from his body loosely as he stormed in our direction.

“You make fun while my beautiful skin is being destroyed! You do not comprehend the damage my image is undergoing as we speak! I am ruined, my fans are going to drop like flies and you give me nothing but sarcasm?!”

“Yeah, sounds like the zit catastrophe all over again.”

“Does this look like a zit to any of you?!!” Asmo opened his shirt to reveal a large bloody wound in his chest. We gasped sharply and took an involuntary step back which only made him weep harder.

“Oh it’s worse than I thought!! I can’t find a single cream, elixir or oil to get rid of this blemish!!”

“Asmo you don’t need a cream, you need medical attention!!” I pulled a cloth to apply pressure to his wound but he fought me.

“NO!! That is pure spider silk!!” He took the garment away and backed away from me, of all the trouble that came upon us this was the most frightening.

“Asmo you need to get that looked at, what is going on, what happened to you?!”

“It started as a small bump and I put a little cream on it and it just got bigger!! And the more I try to get rid of it the more it ruins my beautiful skin!! I don’t know what to do anymore!!”

“Asmo you need to calm down and let us help you!” His breathing was rapid as he panicked and paced and suddenly he fell to his knees screaming in pain. Beel tried to hold his brother still as Belphie went to get some bandages and other medical supplies. I looked at his chest as he panted and I could smell the distinct scent of…rot. It was like he was decaying slowly and that only scared me more.

“Beel, hold him here and wait for Belphie!”

“What are you doing?!”

“I have to find Lucifer, we have to figure out what is wrong!!” I began to run, if anyone knew where Lucifer was it would be Diavolo, I just hope he would help me help our family.

L

“If what Reo says is true then this is a very serious issue Lucifer, the fact that he would come all the way to Devildom himself just to tell you that he didn’t believe Elizaveta to be guilty of the security breech is more alarming than the news she couldn’t have committed the corruption!” we had been in his office for hours now, what my father had said kept me in the library yesterday, even after hours, researching and fretting the possibilities that someone among us is putting my family in danger. I had even called Diavolo to put this meeting together and cut the council meeting short, I had never done such a thing, but this was important.

“Yes, I have been trying to make heads or tails of it since the moment we spoke, looking up spells and techniques to make it all align but nothing seems to do it except what we had discussed. If Azrael was the one who infected all of those students then was it also her that devised the plan?”

“The plan does seem to be consistent to what she had been doing in the past, it was considered fact that she would go into the deep woods and preach to the low level demons. It’s very possible that once she was corrupted her ideal went out of control.”

“But the question still remains of who corrupted her in the first place? There are so many holes in the story still, what was the reason for the grimoire, why did Riley have a key and what was with the lyre?” I had so many more questions and no answers. Diavolo sat back in his chair and pondered hard as well.

“She used the lyre to control the students that were infected, I know that much, but it seems she was able to control any demons that were in earshot of her song. I had asked Luke that last year. What I would like to know is how that Riley had spent so much time with her and yet knew nothing about what happened to her!”

“That bothers me to this very day; and what’s more is how he starved himself while under house arrest for two whole weeks! How does he keep coming onto the campus to socialize with the students and during such a serious situation he always has this…cheery disposition!”

“Riley is just a happy type of person, you cannot fault him for that; and I never told him he _couldn’t_ be on campus, he hasn’t done anything wrong, who could he harm?” I began to feel tired again, and the burning was returning; not now, please!

“Although I wonder how he survived such a long period of time without food as well; or any water for that matter, it’s a mystery.”

“The only person I have seen do anything of the kind was Kiomè, he would eat the bare minimum for weeks at a time.” Keep your breathing steady, don’t let him see what’s wrong.

“That’s true but he can get away with it because he’s half-demon, he can survive that fine without too many consequences.” I was beginning to sweat the pain was so much, but something Diavolo said…

“What…what did you just say??”

“I said that Kiomè can get away with not taking in any sustenance because he’s half demon. You know as well as I do that our bodies are much more resilient than humans. But it doesn’t mean we just skip meals-“

“Diavolo…you said when you made the decisions to approve the applicants last year, you did so by calling their parents. Did you meet Riley’s parents?”

“No, the poor guy is orphaned, he was the one that sent me the video application I was so impressed with it I had to bring him along.” I leaned forward, ignoring the pain and said in my most urgent tone.

“Diavolo, I need to see that video.”

K

A lot has happened to you in the past couple of days, I hear you’ve gotten into a fight. Do you care to tell me about it?”

“I don’t want to go over it again, long story short he made me bomb the final exam and then gave me an ultimatum to come out in front of the school or he would never forgive me.” I sank into the soft couch in his room trying to not let the realization that Sae was now becoming my enemy sink in. I knew this was all my fault, if I had never let myself slip I would be chilling with him right now boasting about how we aced our exams. But that will never be.

“That sounds horrible, it must have been hard controlling your anger the way you did.”

“What?”

“You failed a class and someone you care deeply about hurt you and attacked your vulnerability. You have gotten in similar, even more minor situations and you had gone completely out of control.”

“But that didn’t happen this time.”

“And why do you think that is?” I thought back on that day, that moment and I thought about what I was feeling at the time.

“I don’t know… it escalated but…I didn’t want to destroy him, I just wanted to teach him a lesson.”

“You managed your anger, you took control of it before it could get out of hand. That is a major step, the next being to take control of your full powers.” I sat straight up, there was no way I could do something as outrageous as that!

“But I just managed to not use them involuntarily I don’t want to go back to that!!”

“I believe you mistake your anger from your full power. You turn to your anger because you do not know how to channel your other emotions. You access your power as a defense from a perceived threat, but you need to learn how to access it out of necessity, because you made a conscious decision to do so not because it is a defense mechanism.”

“I don’t think I have any need for that sort of power, all I do is destroy.”

“Anything done wrong is done in destruction Kiomè, you know that. Instead of venting her anger and sadness in a healthy way your sister used violence. Instead of trying to be comfortable in your own skin, you buried yourself under a persona you wanted your parents to see. When emotions and situations are handled in a much healthier way you have a much healthier outcome.” I suppose he had a point there, but managing my anger and keeping it down was much different from what he was implying. Would I be able to do that without killing everyone?

“Tell me, what have you accepted about yourself so far?” Ugh, I hated these questions, I give him an answer and then he digs deeper.

“I accepted the fact that I’m bi, I accepted that my demon blood doesn’t make me evil and I accepted that my name is only something that would destroy me if I allow it to.”

“Good, very good Kiomè.”

“I also accepted that…it is okay to not be perfect, especially if I don’t know what perfection means.” He set his pen down and tilted his head with a slight smile.

“Now, that is very exceptional; I would figure we still had a ways to go before you had gotten to that point, what did it?” There he goes.

“It was failing that class…I had always believed that if I had gotten anything lower than a B+ my parents would be ashamed of me, that I wouldn’t be the child they had tried so hard to have. I would have failed everything, but I did fail and the walls didn’t come crashing down, the world didn’t end and…my mother isn’t mad.”

“You told her about it?”

“I didn’t give many details but I told her I bombed the oral presentation, she said that as long as I tried my hardest that it was alright and I could always try again next year if I chose to stay. To hear that she wasn’t disappointed was like…a melody I never knew existed but the sweetest sound I could ever hear. That is why I can accept not being perfect.”

“That is beautiful, you have always been close to your mother from what you told me?”

“Yes, she is my everything, she understands me deeper than any person could and she truly loves me. For that alone I want her to smile all the days of her life.”

“But that is the main reason why you never told her of the abuse.”

“Yeah…but now she knows, and it was scary because she was yelling and crying; but I know she was angrier that I was harming myself than anything. She was angry I never told her and she was hurt because I was hurting. I had thought I was simply disappointing her when she yelled at me but she was trying to get me to see that she loved me and she felt guilt for not seeing my pain sooner.”

“Are you angry at her for that as well?”

“I was, but then I refused to let her see my pain, I wanted to make her smile. I can’t be angry for not seeing something I didn’t allow her to.”

“And do you believe your mother would accept your sexuality?”

“I…don’t know. She’s made jabs at me, when I say I am not looking for a girlfriend she would then ask if it was a boyfriend I was seeking. My sisters would laugh at the awkwardness but it felt like she was making fun of me.”

“Have you ever confronted her about this?”

“No, never…” Would she still love me if I was this way? The actual subject of those types of relationships had never come up so I would never know to ask her.

“Did she laugh at your expense?”

“No, she never laughed when she asked, it was like…a legitimate question.”

“Do you think maybe she just wants to know?”

“I never gave an inclination of such a thing, why would she ask for that reason?”

“Well what about your father?”

“We don’t speak often, I figure he knows as much about me as I do myself.” He sighed and placed his clipboard down and pushed the cup of tea towards me.

“I don’t want any.”

“Look into it.” I huffed and looked into the cup of tea he had sat in front of me in the beginning of the session. In the reflection I saw a little boy sitting in his room crying and covered in cuts and bruises. He wiped his bloody nose as he put a hand over the various wounds and made them go away. He looked so brokenhearted and so trapped, he looked into the mirror of his reflection and punched it angrily in a loud crash. His hand bled and he pulled the shards of glass from it not feeling the pain…not feeling anything anymore.

“Why are you showing me this?!”

“Keep watching.” My mother and father came rushing in and Mother cried out when she saw my wounds, she took her own shirt and put it to my injured hand while Father asked me if I was alright. Mother looked at the mirror and back at me and she looked…sad, I hadn’t noticed because I was answering Father’s questions. She stopped him from talking and just pulled me close and loved me. Once father had realized just what had happened he only kissed my forehead and said he loved me as well.

“What can you tell me about what happened here?”

“It was back when Tèa’s beatings started to become more violent, I had grown to hate myself and everything I was. I hated the kid who looked back at me and I wanted to hurt him too.”

“Your parents seemed to figure out quickly what happened right, though they never knew the cause of it. Is it safe to say they simply wanted to love you even though what you had done was destructive?”

“Breaking a mirror is one thing, all of these issues are different.” I slid the cup away, upset that I had to remember that moment, I felt so ashamed to make a mess for them to clean and make them worry.

“But you felt they were disappointed in you all the same, but now you see a sad ten year old boy being comforted by his parents that love him. Now, I am not telling you to do anything but to simply consider all of the possibilities.” Seeing their faces, did make me feel differently than what I had then. Maybe I was seeing things differently all along.

“Maybe I was denying their feelings as well?” He chuckled and picked is pen back up.

“I would say you just misinterpreted them, now I think we should cut todays meeting a bit short shall we?”

“I don’t understand, I’ve only been here for less than an hour, what’s wrong?” I saw something in his face and though he was usually iron clad when it came to his emotions I felt just a second of anxiety, it was fleeting but I caught it.

“I believe you said that you told your sister that you two would continue your talk, I would much rather hear how that goes during our next session. While she has the day off from assisting me I would figure she is very lonely.” I nodded, she is prideful but I know she is dealing with this breakup badly.

“Maybe the all-seeing Barbatos knows my sister is going to need her brother soon?”

“I am not all-seeing, I can just see things, just as your gifts are matters of the mind, mine are matters of time. Both are vast and beguiling and that is why I dabble in psychology, because unlike the timeline, it is fine for me to change a person’s way of thinking for their better, it is like I am changing the future in a much slower but more efficient way.” I stood as I thought about that and a thought struck me.

“Lucifer said that if you hadn’t called him that night he would never have come home in time. You knew I was going to slash my wrists…that’s why you sent Lucifer back to the house. You knew he would do the work Diavolo needed and come check on me…didn’t you? Was I supposed to die? Did you change the timeline for me?” He took a sip of his own tea and cleared his throat, the air felt so thick at the thought of what could have happened.

“I don’t change the timeline, however life and time are all made of a series of choices and a series of outcomes that come from those choices. All I did was simply make a choice, it was Lucifer that saved your life, I only told him there were files that needed his attention.” My feet started moving and the next thing I know I was hugging him tight.

“Kiomè, this isn’t very professional.”

“I know, but thank you anyway.” He chuckled and hugged me back, a lot of people said that they care about me, but it was this action that struck me harder than anything. He never even wanted a thank you, he was a great guy.

“I chose to take you on because my Lord thinks so highly of you, he doesn’t have many people he can talk so freely with and you are one. I can happily say that you are a unique and equally intriguing demon, I am happy to have the chance to give you more options for your choices.”

“Thank you Barbatos.”

“Now, go bond with your sister.” I left from there with my head higher than it had been in a while, it was the first time I felt that I had value without anyone having to tell me. This time, I felt it for myself.

L

“G’day, my name is Riley Brown, I am nineteen years old and I come from a small town down under. You might ask what a normal human like me would want with a school like RAD, well there are a lot of reasons. I have been studying in the demon arts for about three years at the hopes of meeting a demon one day. You see growing up I didn’t have my parents or any relles for that matter. They both died at a young age and I always believed in moving forward to get anywhere. I heard that this program is to promote peace and having peace between the races couldn’t be more forward than this! In fact I think it’s quite bonza! I would love the chance to learn a new culture, a new curriculum and meet some new friends. You can see that my transcripts are up to par and that I have no blemishes on my background. I hope you like me, because I suppose what you see is what you get, this is why I chose to do a video. Well thank you very much and I hope to hear back.” I looked over his transcripts and other papers, he did seem a good candidate but when I pulled his grades for the previous year is when things went wrong.

“Didn’t he say he studied Demonic arts for three years?”

“Yes, it was one of the reasons I chose him.”

“His records here show he barely passed yet is transcripts say he was remarkable, the excerpt of his work shows that he was more than capable of not only passing but excelling in the course and many others!”

“It was a hard year for all of us, you couldn’t expect him to do that well under such circumstances.”

“Tèa had said he needed to be tutored…and yet that grimoire in in his handwriting. With this you cannot say he didn’t know what it was saying, he would know more than Azrael what to write!” He stared at all the papers and I watched the realization fell onto his face.

“Even if he lied about his studies, there is no reason to believe he isn’t who he says he is. Right here are the papers from the Goldenbridge orphanage, he was there from age seven to age thirteen when he was adopted but then those parents died as well when he was sixteen. He was deemed legally an adult through rigorous testing and here he is today. With that sort of life I can imagine he just wanted to always stay positive.” I read through more of the information and looked up the orphanage on my DDD and I felt my blood run cold.

“This orphanage…was closed down…sixty years ago!!”

“But…this is his paperwork, all signed by the officials and everything.”

“They died many years ago as well…Diavolo either he forged these or…” He stopped short and he went expressionless. It was like he had completely shut down and it baffled me. I shook my friend but he didn’t move and it seemed the pain only intensified in my back.

“Diavolo, what is the matter, what is going on here?!!”

“Why, everything is quite fine Lucifer but I suppose not for you.” Riley stood in the doorway with the same cheery smile he always had and it infuriated me!

“What are you doing here in the Demon Lords home and what have you done to him?!!”

“Me? Why I’m just a weak defenseless human, I can’t do anything to anyone.” I grabbed him and held him close to my face threateningly. I was well over these games, whatever he was doing was going to end now.

“Don’t give me the innocent drivel that always comes from your mouth!! We have reviewed the documentation we have looked up your orphanage and it has been closed much longer than you could have been alive! Now you tell us how you forged this documentation and what reason you are truly here!!” He gave a low laugh and he smiled.

“Well, those documents are quite legit I will tell you, though they are a tad old I would say. Poor bloke died without ever knowing any real parents, became quite a nasty one, hit his women and kids and died alone. All I had to do really was a simple change of date and he became something to brag about did he not?” He…wasn’t even who he said he was?!!

“Who are you?!!” he pulled himself from my grasp as the pain made my vision blur and he chuckled again

“I am Riley…or rather I am Raliel, I can go by either but I don’t think we need such formal introductions when we already know each other Lucifer.” I fell to my knees my energy suddenly gone and I felt a sense of urgency as I grasped for him again.

“Why…are you here…?” It was getting hard to see and the pain was unbearable.

“Do you feel the power draining from your body? It’s like a syphon, you see those who flaunt around saying they have power do nothing but make themselves moving targets.” What is going on, how is he doing this, what is his plan and who is he? Diavolo still sat at his desk in a daze and I tried to crawl to him and a hard foot much larger than Riley’s should be forced me down onto my stomach.

“I wouldn’t bother with that now, he can’t hear you. I decided to be a little bit more humane with him, and I didn’t want him to hear this conversation. But you get in my way time and again, so I am a little bit upset with you bloke. You got a lotta nerve messing everything up.” He kicked me onto my back and I saw a figure I didn’t recognize in the fading of my vision, but that smile stayed the same.

“Now you are going to take a little nap, and when you wake up I will have everything I set out to have.”

“Lucifer…Diavolo, you have to come quick Asmo’s hurt!” Oh no, not now!! Run Tèa get out of here!!

“Tèa…no…” He put his foot over my throat and smiled again.

“Looks like I get to have some more fun, you ready to get our payback started?” I couldn’t answer, my light was fading and I was going asleep against my will.

“Good, let’s have some fun shall we?”


	17. The Malevolent Mimic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley has been after one thing for the past year, and that is the humiliation and complete destruction of Elizaveta. Unfortunately Jetea and all the brothers have been caught in the crosshairs and are in serious danger.

Part 4 Chapter 17

J

“Diavolo, Lucifer you have to come quickly Asmo is hurt and I think something is very wrong!” I ran as fast as I could to Diavolo’s room and when I burst through the doors I found Lucifer and Diavolo talking with Riley. They seemed to be having a meeting of some kind and I interrupted it effectively putting all eyes on me.

“Jetèa, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I am sorry to interrupt but I need to speak to Lucifer alone if you please.” I saw my ex instantly stiffen and turn back around in his seat.

“I have nothing to speak to you about, we are in an important meeting, don’t you remember anything about priorities?”

“This is a priority, Asmo is hurt he has some sort of infection and he needs help!”

“Then simply take him to a doctor, there, I solved your problem now be gone from me.” He wouldn’t even look at me and Diavolo looked to the both of us unconcerned, what was his problem?!

“I don’t believe you, one of your family is in serious need and you brush it off like a simple inconvenience?! The Lucifer I know would always put his family first even at the sake of himself, don’t you dare tell me that Asmo is not important to you!” Riley fidgeted in his chair and moved to get up.

“Maybe I should leave so you can-“

“NO, she won’t be here much longer.” Lucifer turned and looked me in the eye, his eyes red like embers burning me with their animosity.

“If I recall it was you who told me that I was just as vindictive and manipulative as my father; that I didn’t care about them at all, that is what you said. I don’t understand who the Lucifer you know truly is, but you certainly have me confused with someone else.”

“Now? You choose to have this conversation now; Asmo is in trouble right now! You can hate me all you wish but you have to help him!!”

“Look, I have heard about the spat the two of you had and-“

“And I told you to stay out of it Diavolo; Tèa let me put it simply, I don’t care what you need from me, it was you who dismissed me remember? Or maybe you need to have a man to feel any sense of worth? Do you feel inadequate without me there to tell you how much I cherish you Beloved? Well that is a pity, I never knew you were so weak.” I closed the distance and slapped him hard without thinking. I was mad again, not because of what he said because I deserved that, but the fact that he was ignoring his own responsibility!

“Are you so blinded by anger that you didn’t hear a word I said?! Asmo is hurt, he is in trouble and this type of wound is nothing I’ve seen before! You can be a pouty little ass all you want later but you need to come with me now!!” I grabbed his hand and I heard a slow clap, Riley smiled as he watched us and it unnerved me a lot.

“You certainly know how to persevere don’t you shelia? I have to say, you are a remarkable person.” Something felt…off, this wasn’t right at all. Lucifer stopped moving he wasn’t even looking at me, it was as though he…shut down. I looked over to Diavolo who sat there speechless and stoic, Diavolo always had something to say or a compromise…or at the very least shown concern for Asmo.

“Diavolo, are you alright?” He looked at me confused and stood shakily from his chair and went to the window.

“I…don’t know. Do you think my father will come back today?” he gazed out wistfully and cuffed his hands behind his back.

“What?”

“He said for me to watch Devildom for him, and I have been doing my best…I wonder if he will come back today…” Riley squirmed and smiled, looking just as confused as I was.

“Maybe you should sit back down Lord Diavolo, you look confused.” He turned back to us and looked as though seeing us for the first time.

“Confused…yes I believe that is the correct word for it. One moment I was in a meeting and the next…I’m in a meeting…and I can’t remember anything else…” I was feeling anxious as each second passed because now neither of them were acting like themselves and I wondered if Asmo was really a solitary case.

“Diavolo, are you feeling alright?” I reached for him and Riley grabbed my hand that I quickly pulled from him. I couldn’t help but feel like I had walked into another dimension with how they were acting.

“Tèa, you are being excitable, I think you should sit down and maybe have a cup of tea.” I felt a mild burning in my hand and I looked to see that it was very red and my gears began to turn.

“What did you just to do me Riley?!” I backed up and bumped right into Lucifer who wasn’t looking to be moving as he glowered at me. Riley brushed his blonde hair hack and walked towards me slowly.

“I believe I said to have a seat. Now.” My hand burned a little bit more but I was not about to give into him.

“NO! Tell me what you are doing, why is Lucifer and Diavolo acting this way?!” He looked surprised and even chuckled as he sat on the demon Lords desk while it’s owner looked off in a daze.

“I didn’t figure it would work, having you would have been a real ripper.”

“What does that mean, what have you done, what magic are you using?!”

“Well my own of course, isn’t it grand?”

“Are you a sorcerer too?!” He laughed again and to be honest by now that was a stupid question to ask.

“Look I like you Tèa, I do, it’s why I will start from the beginning. You see like you and your fiancé…oops, I mean ex fiancé, I believe that family is a very important thing as well. Why if anyone were to mess with my own family I would stop at nothing to see they received their just desserts. And to do that all I needed was to come here and get the ball rolling! I mean sure there was a lot of factors I didn’t consider, what with you being a Cambion and all-“

“A…cambion?”

“A Halfling, the mix between human and demon, it’s why the transfer didn’t work all the way or else I wouldn’t be explaining anything to you.”

“What exactly are you trying to do Riley…?” He smiled again and swung his leg as he leaned back. Diavolo watched him attentively as well and I could feel Lucifer creeping closer behind me.

“You know what I am trying to do, I want my revenge! I want my payment in blood and I have every right to get it.” I began to shake uncontrollably and I felt tears come to my eyes, a year ago I would never let myself look so weak in the face of danger, this place really has changed me.

“Are you here to kill me…did I hurt your family last year?” His eyes softened and he jumped from his perch to cup my face with a smile.

“Oh no shelia, you’ve done nothing wrong by me. Pretty arrogant to assume it was about you though.” He caressed my face and I felt a miniscule amount of relief as he turned away.

“Although…I did tell that ragtag bunch about your weaknesses so that they could dispose of you properly. You are more resilient than even I gave you credit for.”

“You…told them…”

“Oh come on, no hard feelings, I just needed you out of my way! You are too smart for your own good and I needed you to leave things alone. I didn’t realize you had a brother either, now that one, he seems like a good tool especially with that thing he does with his aura…” he pondered aloud and I looked to Diavolo who was still listening and the pieces fell together.

“You are the one behind the incident last year.”

“Well, yes and no, I helped Azi get her congregation all fine and dandy but she sailed that ship on her own. Her idea wasn’t bad, and if it isn’t broke don’t try to fix it I say.”

“You helped her do all of that, you hurt innocent demons why?!”

“There are no such thing as innocent demons, we all have our vices and flaws and quirks and sins. You said it best, we are all guilty of something the question is what are you guilty of? Well I am guilty of being vengeful!” He laughed and my heart pounded as I noticed he dropped his Australian accent.

“You aren’t human, you’ve never even been to Australia have you?!”

“Of course I have, however would I have picked up the accent, met ole Riley Brown and gotten to know about his past? I needed someone who would fit my criteria, someone who was dark and sad and would give into me easily. Riley was a real pessimist, orphaned twice and abused as a kid, he grew up to beat his own kids. He was so miserable and alone in his own darkness that by the time I came in, the old man was practically begging for me to take his soul. I didn’t really come for it, but it was a bonus.” He pulled out a shiny orb that was a pale blue with green flecks in it that seemed to move and swirl.

“You killed him?!”

I did his family a favor, in exchange I took his information and his persona, I made Riley brown into a name people care about.” This is surreal, of all the people, of all the students…I would never have suspected him.

“No one would suspect a poor fragile human to do anything wrong.”

“Exactly! These two flaunt their powers, they are only flaunting their limitations! All while I has severely underestimated. I mean Diavolo let me stroll onto campus and pick all my pawns! Ha, the trusting fool, but I have no bad blood with him either so I won’t hurt him if he behaves. My hold on him isn’t too strong it seems, this form is weaker, although if I were to touch you in my real form I could do with anyone as I please thanks to Azi.”

“H-h-how…”

“My father was a mimic demon you see, he can shape shift into whomever he pleased and blend in. But you see we can also take on and mimic the powers of other beings we encounter. Although Azis pure energy is a little…tainted coming from me, so where the others has burned clean wounds these poor guys seem to decay a little. No matter, it still gets the job done!” This was bad, this was very bad and I had to get out of here now, my back hit Lucifer who looked at me with hatred and I slipped past him toward the door while Riley’s…or whomever’s back was turned.

“Oh, now don’t do that, I haven’t told you the best part of the story!” I felt him behind me in an instant and his hand slammed the door shut.

“Do you want to know how I corrupted Azrael?” At this point I truly didn’t want to know, but nodded anyway.

“I told her a story, about how a demon who had made a life collecting souls had turned over a new leaf, reformed himself and worked hard at it. Sure he kept his collection but he never took another soul, not since he saw what it did to a little girl. Now he lived with his three children two very young demons and an older son who had to help take care of them. You see it was hard for the oldest son because he was half human, mother dying in childbirth meant that the son saw the worst of his father and what he had to offer. But that meant he knew it meant something when his children needed him there and made a change for them. Now imagine those three children watching as their father is killed in cold blood. Knowing he was doing well and made a change, what would you do?” My own father lived a life in darkness, I know he had enemies, it was why we were taught to defend ourselves. I hated it, but I sympathized with him.

“I would seek vengeance.”

“See, I knew you would understand and she did too, that demon died without knowing redemption and he was buried in a cold grave by his children’s hands. Humans are just as cruel, no one is safe from cruelty and she realized that and she turned in my favor.”

“She wanted to help you…” he felt so much taller than before and he bent down to whisper in my ear in a low voice.

“Now I am asking you to help me, lure the witch to this office and let me have my way with her and I shall set your family free.”

“Why couldn’t you have done that in the beginning? You could have met up with her easily, hell you dated her!”

“Yes…I wanted to ruin her life like she had mine, my sisters died of a virus a few years later because we had to leave our home. I have no one else and he is going to know what it means to have no one on your side. And once her life has no meaning, once she has nothing left to live for I will truly have my revenge!” It all made sense, he had the key because he needed to put the files back, Azrael didn’t tell him to write the grimoire he did it himself and from the story he told me, it wasn’t far to believe he could have shape shifted into anyone he pleased! He hid in plain sight all of this time! I shook as I turned to look him in the eye. His hair was long and platinum blonde and his eyes were golden as well and especially cold, his horns curled out sort of like a rams but what took my off guard was the fact that he had gone from a modest five foot nine to a little taller than Beel! This was not the nice guy I had known at all!

“Will you lure the witch to me?” He played with a lock of my hair and I gulped loudly, I had no idea how powerful he was so arguing would not be wise, and he had control over the two most powerful demons in Devildom so it was safe to play along and get out of this room!

“Yes, I can do that.” He smiled and backed away I turned for the door again when he clucked his tongue.

“I would let you go, if I believed that for a single second, from the way you acted over the trial I doubt you would allow me to torture her. That’s why I wanted her ruled no guilty, death isn’t enough. But since I like you, it will be enough for you.” I hate to see what he does to those he doesn’t like!!

“Y-you’re going to kill me?” He looked almost beautiful as he smiled, running his fingers into his pale locks.

“Me, no, I wouldn’t do such a thing. We cambion have to stick together, I wouldn’t think of harming a hair on your pretty blood red head…Lucifer will kill you, and the shame and grief will be his punishment for defying me.” Lucifer turned already mid change and I turned the knob to run, he smashed into it knocking me and the broken door into the hallway and I stumbled quickly to run for my life barley missing being swiped by his claws. I screamed as he came up onto me fast and I made my shield just as he swung at me again, knocking me over the railing. I clutched the sturdy wooden poles that met with the upstairs floor, about sixty feet below me was the ballroom floor we had our first dance, it would be tragic to meet my end on that floor. Lucifer snarled as he tried to reach me over the railing and I screamed in fear.

“Luci this isn’t you!! He is controlling you, you have to fight it, if you don’t you’ll kill me!!” He wasn’t hearing me I tried to climb along the ledge away from him.

“I’m sorry, I never told you that I forgive you!! I never told you that I was so angry at myself that I couldn’t take it all back but I wish I did!! I lied when I said I would never marry you! I love you with all my heart Lucifer, so you have to fight this, please!!” He stopped for a moment and looked at me as I hung there and he knelt down. He slid his hand between the poles and lit up like he had the brightest idea in the world.

“Forever prideful…” He reached to grab me and I let go, could I land this and not get hurt? I wasn’t sure but I had no other choice. I felt myself being tackled mid-air and we fell to the floor together and i began to scream when my mouth was covered.

“Would you shut up?! Do you want him to hear us?!” Kio turned on me in a hushed shout pulled me farther toward the wall under the ledge and out of Lucifer’s sight.

“What are you doing here?!”

“I see Barbatos for therapy remember? He told me to go bond with you though he said nothing about this, what the hell is going on?!!”

“Apparently this guy we went to school with last year wasn’t really human, he was a half demon and a minic, set out on revenge against the Eliza who almost went down for corruption. He is the one who has been controlling the other demons and making them sick and right now he has Diavolo and Lucifer and he sent Lucifer to kill me to keep me quiet.”

“Holy shit…you picked a bad time to break up with him then.”

“Seriously?!” My slew of insults were interrupted by a large gust of air and the sound of large wings. Lucifer floated down to the floor and I felt my brother’s hand grip mine and lead me down a hallway and into the massive kitchen. We have had drills like this before, if there ever were an enemy to break into the house, always make our way to the kitchen, there lied knives and many instruments to defend ourselves when we are otherwise unarmed. I used to run the drills mercilessly and yet now it seems my little brother is leading me.

“Okay, so let me get this straight: That mystery we have been trying to figure out all year has to do with whoever is controlling Luicfer?” He pulled out a large steak knife and metal skewer, inspecting its sharpness.

“And Diavolo too, Riley was the last person I would suspect to be behind it all, I mean we all thought he was human!”

“So he just played your game better?” I was really hating the way he did that.

“He wants to make Eliza’s life a living hell and he will destroy anyone who gets in his way! But I don’t understand why he has Lucifer and Diavolo if he only wanted her why do they have to be put in the middle of this! Why do I always have to be afraid for the people I care about?!” I felt a slap on my cheek and saw my brother scowling at me.

“If you keep wallowing in self-pity and worry you’ll be dead before sunset! You need to focus on the matter at hand, where is my sister?!” He handed me a meat tenderizer the size of a ball bat and kept his grip firm when I tried to take it.

“I am not going to lose you, do you hear me? Snap out of it.” I nodded and took a breath as he let go, before I could utter a word the doors burst into the kitchen in pieces. The shadow of the demon I loved filled the area and we crawled quietly toward the row of ovens. I heard the soft click of his oxfords echo in the near darkness as I tried desperately to calm my heart. Would I have to hurt him, would he really kill me; and would it come to the point where I have to choose my life or his?

“I’m not going to let you come to that point Tèa; if we cannot get out of here together I am going to distract him and you are going to make a run for it.” He crouched low, holding the kitchen knife ready.

“Kio why are you in my head?!”

“Because you aren’t thinking straight right now, if I wasn’t here you would let him kill you!”

“You don’t know that!”

“You let me do it, and I know you love him much more than you ever have me, so don’t tell me what I do and don’t know!” I couldn’t believe what he just said, so that’s what it really was.

K

Great, as if things couldn’t get worse, I spilled some emotional shit onto my sister, she didn’t need this right now and I was not going to get a real response at a time like this, our lives were in danger! I have to be the stupidest-

“Kio…you really think I don’t love you?” She was so scared before and now she looked sad, I really messed up now.

“It isn’t import-” she put her finger to my lips and we pressed our backs to the oven as Lucifer walked closer from behind us and slowly walked away to another area of the kitchen. There were only two exits, one leading back to the hall to the ballroom and the other goes back to the stock room, if we escaped to the stockroom we would be faced with a dead end, not good. In order to get back to the ballroom and out of here would be to get past him, in order to do that we had to either use stealth or subdue him. He is much stronger than I am and Tèa isn’t going to do what she needs to, she wouldn’t do that before and I nearly killed her. I can’t let her get into that position again.

“Kio, I really do love you, why do you think I’ve been trying to get closer to you? Why do you think I have been doing my best to talk to you if it wasn’t because I love you?”

“I wasn’t really focused on why, you just annoyed me.”

“I know that isn’t true, you don’t want to get hurt again, and I understand that. I used to think that I used you for your loyalty, but really I used your love for me, that is why you’ve been so afraid to let me in. I don’t deserve to be let in, but I would never let you believe I don’t love you…it’s why I stopped hurting you in the first place. You never deserved that, I should never have blamed you for doing the right thing. You are so important to me Kio.” I felt such remorse and adoration coming from her, she really did care about me. But we were still met with the serious issue of our lives.

“Tèa, this is really great and I love what you are doing right now, but we have to get out of here before he finds us.” There was a loud clang and we froze breath and all.

“Come out Beloved, all is well, the threat is gone. Let us get away from this place and go out, we can rekindle our first night by dancing under the stars.” Pfft as if.

“Now he’s trying to lure me out.”

“You have to go, he isn’t going to stop until he has you, I’ll hold him off.” I moved to leave and she grabbed my arm, and pulled me back.

“You aren’t going to hurt him are you? Can’t you just manipulate him?”

“I haven’t trained very hard with that, and he may be too strong for me, but for you I can try that first.” She looked relieved and hugged me tight.

“Be careful baby brother.”

“Okay geez, just get off me…and Tèa…” She turned back and looked at me hopefully.

“Look not to be cheesy but if anything happens to me-“ A loud bang startled us from overhead and I stood up quickly to face Lucifer who leered at me with glowing scarlet eyes.

“Hey Lu, I haven’t seen you in these parts before, you making Diavolo a snack?” He looked like he was far from amused, luckily that wasn’t too far from the real Lucifer. I tried to search his mind and got nothing, it was like he wasn’t even in there. It’s why I had to get her out of here, he will kill her and none of us will be able to live with ourselves.

“Where is she? I require her blood.”

“Wow, don’t you think you should start off with a date first?”

“I have no time for games boy, tell me where she is or I will have to get my information in other ways.” Okay, I had to handle this with as little violence as possible. My best bet was to manipulate his mind, sort of like hypnotizing with spoken word. My mother and Jiji are pros but I was still very rusty, but in this case I had to try.

“But how can that be when there is no one here? You told me you were only here to look for a snack, you and Diavolo are in a meeting and he is expecting you. You should go back up there and see to him.” He looked at me confused and looked around before turning back to me with a snarl.

“I mean if you want to be the one to disappoint Diavolo, that is your choice, but I don’t know why you would argue with me. Go back upstairs Lucifer and don’t come back down.” I gave it everything I had and for a moment he was turning to leave but stopped and turned back to me and then he spotted something behind me. I looked to see my sisters reflection as she was crawling out the door and he spun around to go after her. I tackled him but he quickly tossed me against the metal counter but she was able to take off running thankfully. I tried to hold him still using my telekinesis, and he did freeze in place, but he was in his demon form and he was starting to break free. I can’t let him kill her, Tèa get away, get far away from here!

“You stay away from her!!!”

“My, are you the reason for all the noise down here?” a demon with blonde hair to his waist stood just a foot from me, he was head to toe in black leather and chains and carried a curious and delighted smile.

“Depends, are you the reason my sister is running for her life?” He crept closer, he was tall and smelled sickly sweet, like a rotten apple. He studied me and snapped his fingers making Lucifer stop momentarily.

“You’re only in your human form and you managed to hold him off, you have a great bit of power within you, why not use it?”

“Because I don’t need it to beat you!” He smirked and nodded and Lucfer tore from my grip and took off down the hall. This demon blocked my way, I would just attack but something told me not to. If he managed to get control of Lucifer I had to be very careful.

“I have heard a great deal about you, you would be very nice as a tool.”

“Is that how you always make friends?” He chuckled and leaned closer, studying me.

“Listen, I understand you want to protect your family, I do, but I cannot let your family get in the way of avenging my own.” He trailed away and smiled wider, reaching out to move a strand of hair from my face.

“Do you like what you see?”

“Sorry, you aren’t my type.” I mean yeah, I was digging his aesthetic, but that aside I had made up my mind that he was a psycho and anyone trying to hurt my family was an enemy!

“No…that isn’t vibe I’m getting, the way your eyes traveled; how about you assist me and I will make you an offer.”

“An offer like what…?” He pressed closer, just inches from me and I felt myself begin to panic, why did I let him back me into a corner?! I held the knife behind me, ready to use it, but his eyes seemed to trap me like a mouse staring into the molten gold eyes of a snake.

“Capture the girl named Elizaveta, bring her to me and I will give you what your heart desires.”

“What my heart desires?” He shrank and began to change, his eyes turned green and before I knew it I knew exactly what he meant.

“I can make him love you again, I can make him a slave to your whims. I can give you what you couldn’t achieve yourself…and most of all I will help you unlock that potential you have.” The image of Sae stood before me wearing the same clothes the demon had been wearing and I’m not going to lie, I liked it. But I wasn’t stupid.

“You are only making this offer because you already made him a slave, the only thing you would do is order him to like me. You’re controlling him just like you are Lucifer. I appreciate the whole seductive thing but you failed, you can’t have me.” He chuckled like it were only a game and changed back. I had a feeling he was stalling me, he was trying to keep me from her!

“Why is it so hard to find willing participants?”

“Why do you need us to do your dirty work?!” I saw the purple aura coming from his hand as he looked at me with a sadistic sneer.

“I love Azi’s trick, being able to mimic pure energy and control another demon comes in handy. But what I really want is yours; that human alias couldn’t secure your sister but this form will take you over quite nicely. And once I see you in action I can use it for myself a well.” I heard the guys say that the other demons may have been infected by a touch…this must be how he did it! I pulled the knife and cut his arm as he reached for me and managed to slip myself out from being cornered. This guy was dangerous, but I didn’t have time to play around, Tèa needs me!

“Don’t worry, it won’t hurt much, in my human form the energy had to lie dormant and grow before I could take over but this amount will make you mine instantly.” I backed away and that was when Diavolo came over the counters and tackled him.

“Diavolo?!!”

“Get out of here, tell the others, don’t let Raeliel touch you!!” He had him pinned but then I saw him being kicked back and a flash of purple. I ran out of there before I could even think, I had to save my sister!

J

I ran as fast as I could trying to get out of this place and it wasn’t long before Lucifer was right behind me. I couldn’t just run forever, I had to do something, but I know the first thing I had to do was get to the front door! As I got closer I saw it open and to my horror it was Eliza and Solomon entering.

“You have to get out of here!!!” They saw me barreling towards them and backed away as I slid through the opening and bound the door with a wall of thorns from the outside. Lucifer pounded away at the door but I knew it would hold for at least a little while. We began to run and not long after we spotted Levi who had a game in his hand and we shouted for him to follow as well.

“Whoa what is all of this?!”

“Yes, do you mind telling us what the hell is going on?!!” Eliza looked aggravated and terrified as well she should be and I motioned for them to continue following as we began to run back to the house of Lamentation.

“There is this demon that is after you Eliza-“

“Yeah no shit, all of you are after me.”

“NO I mean he was the one that set you up in the first place!” we all stopped running and they looked at me like I was insane.

“What do you mean set her up?”

“It was Riley, only Riley isn’t Riley! He’s some sort of mimic half demon or something and he wants to make your life a living hell!”

“What? But why is he in Diavolo’s house? I was just bringing the 3D escape room game for him to borrow, I didn’t expect all this running, I can’t take this!” Poor Levi huffed as he tried to keep up but I wasn’t about to stop.

“Because he used Azrael’s skill to take control of Diavolo and Lucifer and now he is after me!” Eliza covered her mouth as we continued into the woods to hopefully break our trail. We broke into a walk trying to catch our breaths and keep going, we needed backup.

“I know you have all heard about the story of how the demon who tried to take me away caused my family to die. His name was Serzen, he took everything from me and I had planned my revenge for over six years, training to become a strong witch so I could kill him and when I was thirteen I did. But it wasn’t until after the fact did I learn he had a family. Raeliel, Serli and Lez, I felt so guilty after that that I wanted to know more about demons and learn from them. But I suppose Raeliel couldn’t let go of his hate for me.

“You…met him?”

“Only once, a year later I had told him I was sorry, I told him what happened and what drove me to do what I did. But he said it was no excuse, I didn’t give him the chance to explain himself before I killed his father and so I could not be pardoned. But I hadn’t seen him for years after that.”

“He has been planning this for some time it seems, he even took all the steps to make you look like you would go down for last year’s battle. But he didn’t want you to be killed…”

“Because he wants to do it himself.” Her icy blue eyes darkened as she stopped walking and looked to Solomon who shook his head.

“Cousin no!!”

“I am who he wants and he has good reason, I should end this!”

“No there has to be another way!”

“Well you guys can think of it while you keep going, he’s not going to take long to find you!” Kio burst from the trees and grabbed my hand and we kept going towards the house. A large shadow covered us for a second and we all ducked down.

“It’s Lucifer!” He soared above, looking for movement as we made ourselves as low and still as possible until he was gone.

“How did you get out of there?”

“Diavolo saved me, but I don’t think he made it, he said to not let Raeliel touch you that his how he transfers that energy to control you. And I will tell you he’s pretty batty if I say so myself.”

“You talked to him?” my little brother looked visibly shaken but he was trying to keep a front to not scare anyone. He felt the same fear I did towards him, he was unpredictable and very dangerous.

“He wants me, he wants to take me over and see me use my power so he can take it on for himself. The guy is crazy, we have to get back to the house and warn the others.” I had never seen him this nervous and afraid, not about an actual mission, he was always cool and collected. I had to break the tension, only one of us could be a nervous wreck at one time.

“At least it’s nice to be wanted right?”

“This is serious Jetèa, if we don’t get back to the house we won’t stand a chance against all three of them!” He snapped at me in a tone he would only use when he was mad but something was off. I could assume that he was afraid but he didn’t seem too concerned about Diavolo even though he said something bad happened to him.

“Kio, how did I get my middle name?” He turned and chuckled cynically.

“Is this really the time for this, we are being pursued by three powerful demons!”

“Yes, one of them being a mimic!” The others stopped and now all of our attention was on him which annoyed him.

“Tell me, if you are my brother, what was our grandfather like?” He scoffed and crossed his arms.

“He was a great man, he loved us all very much and when he died it crushed us. Why would you even talk about him at a time like this?” Levi stepped away and Solomon caught his expression and pulled Eliza back.

“Anyone who knows Kio knows that our grandfather died while our mother was a child, that he bears the burden of carrying his name because he was such a heavy figure in her life!” He looked at us all and Raeliel’s chuckle bubbled to the surface.

“Forgive me, I took a shot in the dark.” He reverted back to his true form and looked right to Eliza who stepped forward.

“Please, it is me you want, take me and spare them. You have every right to do this, but please they have nothing to do with it.” He stepped forward and smiled as he tilted his head towards her.

“Yes I do, and I intend to make every moment of the remainder of your life pure agony. But you see, I need no interruptions, and these…individuals will interrupt me. So they have to die, but don’t worry, we will have our time together.” Solomon pulled her behind him and just as he was about to turn and attack us Kio ran up and put himself between us and him.

“Hello there, welcome back.”

“How did you get here before me?!” We heard Diavolo and Lucifer overhead and we knew our time was up.

“Satan is quite a fast runner I was delighted to copy his skill.”

“Bastard!!” He had Satan too? Who else was under his control? I thought back to Asmo’s wound and I fear the worst for the others and Mammon was said not to be well either.

“I wonder what your powers will be like to use, you have such talent when it comes to the mind. Sadly even I can’t mimic those but that other one…now that I can do, how does it work?” Raeliel crept closer and I took Levi’s hand to make a run for it, he saw us and lunged and Kio tackled him to the ground. He got up quickly and when Raeliel went for us again he faked his attack and shot a large amount of energy into Kio’s stomach in the form of a punch.

“Kio!!”

“We have to go Tèa!!” I heard Lucifer and Diavolo overhead and panicked, I couldn’t leave him, not again I wasn’t going to leave my brother. He writhed on the ground in pain his eyes changing from hazel to black and back again. I tried to hold my brother as he panted but the others were pulling me away.

“Kio you have to fight it, come on!! You have to fight this, he cannot have you!!”

“There is no point in theatrics, with that amount he will succumb in mere minutes rather than a week, he will go into a deep sleep and then I shall use him for my purposes. I did love Azi, bless her heart she saw my vision and she helped me, we didn’t need all of this fighting.” HE reached up to me as he struggled to breath and he pushed me away.

“Kio NO!!”

“Go…” The others pulled me and I had to run, the people I cared about most were being taken from me one by one. I thought after last year the bloodshed would be behind us, but it seems that it only just begun.


	18. Making a plan/ Accept Me for all I am.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the group try desperately to figure out a plan to stop Raeliel, Kio goes on a journey to gather his own arsenal.

Part 4 Chapter 18

J

I had to leave my brother behind, my fiancé and several of my dear friends were in serious trouble and I had no idea what to do! Why was it always my own family getting into dangers like this, and why was I always the last to know about these things?! We ran back to the house and began to barricade the front door and lock the windows, terrified of what was coming our way.

“What are we even doing? What if Lucifer and Diavolo just break the walls down, what will we do then?”

“I don’t know but we have to do something, we have to hold them off until we can come up with a strategy to secure Raeliel. We have to get everyone toge-“ I heard Belphie and Beel yelling upstairs and within moments they came downstairs with Asmo behind them.

“Thank Sheol you’re back!!”

“We tried to treat his wound but he just started going crazy!” Asmo came charging down the stairs snarling like a savage his honey eyes wild and wide. Asmo was one of them, possibly Mammon as well, we had to figure out how to handle them now before it got even worse. Asmo was much weaker compared to the other two but not to be reckoned with, if we can figure out how to break this hold then we can possibly get them back and win this! I had to focus, I had to get them back!

“He can’t take all of us, circle around him, we have to find the weakness in this power!” Raeliel had to have a weak point in this, he already said that his version of Azraels power had setbacks, but what were they?

“What are we supposed to do?!” Belphie, Solomon, Eliza, Levi, Beel and I stood around Asmo as he growled at us angrily. He didn’t seem to have an objective, it was possible he wasn’t given a direct order. Does Raeliel know he succumbed to the energy?

“Amso…I know you’re in there, you have to fight it, we are your friends and family!” He didn’t seem to hear me, it was like he didn’t even know us. He was looking around like a cornered animal but stopped suddenly and began to stare behind Eliza in a daze before slowly touching at his hair.

“What is he doing?” I looked behind her, it was a mirror! I broke the circle to grab it and bring it closer to Asmo. He Looked horrified and tried to flatten his hair down with his hands.

“He is the Avatar of lust, his vanity just might be stronger than Raeliel’s hold on him! Solomon, don’t you have a pact with him? Can you do something?” Solomon looked to the demon surprised and shrugged his shoulders.

“I King Solomon call upon the powers of darkness to pull forth the demon Asmodeus, heed to my command!!” Asmo looked up curiously but didn’t move or anything. In fact he looked like he was just a little bit more in his right mind than he was before. Solomon walked closer to his friend all the while being cautious of an attack.

“Asmo?” He looked around before turning back to his reflection, raking at his hair with his claws. Solomon grabbed his wrists which made him hiss angrily in response but Solomon held firm.

“You are already the most beautiful demon in Devildom, what are you doing?” Asmo cooed at his friends words and nuzzled close to his hand in affection before turning back to his reflection.

“Okay…if we play on their sins, then maybe we can break the hold or at least make it weaker.”

“He’s…like a child.”

“I know, but it’s better than before.” We all nodded, but this was only one, we had to make sure we were right about this.

“Guys where is Mammon?”

“Last I saw he was in his room, he hadn’t been feeling well.” I ran upstairs without a word and went right to his room. It was dark and I could feel that he was in here, I wasn’t sure if it was because of my adrenaline or because I simply knew him. This was just like the day after we had gotten in trouble after sneaking out, I could see him sitting on his couch in the dim light and my heart pounded. I shut the door behind me; his head snapped in my direction and he began to growl like a rabid dog. I had to think, Mammon was all about his money, he loved it more than anything, maybe it would weaken the hold Raliel had on him.

“Mammon…I have some grimm for you, would you like it?” I pulled the golden coin from my pocket and sat it on the coffee table in front of him and he snatched it quickly to look at it. He put the coin in his pocket and then looked back to me expectantly and I looked in my other pockets but found nothing which made him angry.

“I-i-I have more! Hold on!” I remembered my purse in Kio’s room when I was talking to him earlier and ran in there with him behind me which made me yell. His deep blue eyes bored into me with anger as I ripped open my purse and pulled out more coins, dropping them on the floor. He fell to his knees and picked them up quickly snarling at me when I approached. I backed up and he looked expectant again.

“I have something else, I have more, just give me a second! My coin pouch was empty and as I shook it out we were both disappointed and he approached me menacingly.

“Mammon, please…you’re my friend, I know you wouldn’t hurt me! You’re in there I know it!” I tripped over my purse and he took it and shook it out, picking up the stray coin that fell and he picked up my coin pouch and stopped. The stone he made…the heart shaped garnet with the small crow inside hung on my pouch like a charm. He stared at the stone, his hands shaking and tears welling in his eyes. He fished in his pockets and pulled out the money he had just taken from me and replaced it to my coin pouch.

“Mammon…?” He looked to me and handed the pouch back to me with his eyes lowered… for the avatar of greed…that was unexpected.

“Come here Mammon, I know you won’t hurt me.” He crawled closer, and rested his head in my lap like a child or newly tamed animal and I petted his hair. The others quickly came to the source of the commotion and stopped in the doorway.

“So Mammon was infected too?”

“Yes, but I know he isn’t going to hurt me.” He growled lightly as he clung to me and I nodded everyone in to come in and talk. Asmo continued to stare at the mirror and this time he was smiling. Solomon looked at Mammon confused and shook his head.

“I figured money would be the thing to tame him.” It distracted him, but I suppose there was something he cared about more.

“We have to come up with a plan, what do we know?”

“He can infect other demons by transferring energy through touch.”

“He can mimic other’s appearances and their powers.”

“He can mimic…but he cannot replicate, even this has its limits and he said himself that he couldn’t hold Diavolo well while in his Riley form.”

“So basically he is a copycat demon, if that were the biggest of it I wouldn’t be worried, but he wants my cousin dead! He currently has control of two powerful demons and who knows how long before he gives these two an order and they turn on us too!” He was right there, what do we do?

Luke had told me that the only way an angel can break their hold is if they choose or if their lyre is broken. The lyre was the real source of their control!”

“But Raeliel doesn’t have a lyre!”

“He’s commanding them by voice…so we need to incapacitate him.”

“So wait, in order to free our brothers, we have to get to this Raeliel, but in order to even get close we have to handle our brothers?! This makes my head hurt.”

“Wait, slow down a minute, who is Raeliel?” I gave them all the rundown of what I encountered in Diavolo’s room and everything up to this point.

“He has Kio too?!”

“Dammit!”

“He said he has Satan’s speed…where is he?” Everyone looked to each other and shrugged.

“He’s been such a grouch to everyone that we just left him alone, I think he went to the library earlier today.”

“But he and Kio were in a fight yesterday, I thought he was grounded.”

“Lucifer hasn’t been around to punish anyone.”

“And now we know why.” We thought about everything up to this point, this wasn’t good and this time there was no telling what was at stake.

“Do you think he has other demons?”

“I don’t know, he said he only wanted to control us so we couldn’t stop him, look at who he chose…look at who he chose!!” I pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write everything down.

“What are you doing?”

“Listen, last year it was you three under their control, he didn’t choose you this time!”

“But he has Satan and Asmo too and they were infected last year.” I looked at Asmo and back to the others.

“But…back in Riley’s room…we thought a kiss would help him and so Asmo kissed him and he turned after that…”

“The kiss of life?”

“What?” Solomon nodded as he thought, stroking his chin.

“Yes, it’s another technique, similar to touch of light, there is still a transfer but it’s a different type of energy. I have been reading several grimoire lately as well as writing my own and that is mentioned for demons to look out for these techniques to not be taken by them.”

“But anything he mimics isn’t as perfect as the original, Solomon we are going to need everything you have on this stuff…and…I’m sorry to both of you for all of this mess.”

“It isn’t your fault…violence begets violence…” Eliza looked up and to us excitedly.

“That is what Azrael said before she took Lucifer…she commanded Cerberus to attack him…”

“But the angels said it was human energy that tainted him…”

“But isn’t Raeliel half human?”

“They did work together after all…”

“Okay, I think the one thing we need to do is avoid getting caught by Lucifer and Diavolo, and make a beeline for this guy and knock him out!”

“Very good Levi…but he has Kio…” We were all silent then, the memory of his episode in the woods still sent me chills as I’m sure it did the others. How would he fair while under another’s control as a weapon? How miserable will he be after this? How many more scars and regrets will we walk away with?

K

It was dark, I kept walking in the cold woods not knowing when I would run into anyone else and I felt fear creep into my very bones. I heard the sound of crying nearby and I thought it was one of the others and I ran into the direction of the sound. Suddenly a pain in my head and a burning in my stomach sent me to the ground and I panted painfully as the voices pounded in my head.

_Submit…let the power consume you…be mine…_

I dragged myself along the ground as my body began to feel like lead and I remembered exactly what brought me here. That demon…he hit me and if I guessed right the energy was trying to taint and turn me. But he couldn’t take my sister…maybe this is why I can fight it just a bit…but this was strong and I couldn’t move.

_Submit…be mine…slip into the rage…_

“Ha…you’re trying to control me, hell, I can’t even control me!!” I forced myself up and stumbled forward in the moonless night until I saw a small lantern being held by what looked like a child in a clearing. I was over the dark forest and maybe this kid could help me out, I was totally lost.

“Hey kid, can you help me, I got turned around in the dark and…” The boy looked up at me and…he was me! He was maybe ten years old at most and crying his eyes out as he held the lantern close to him.

“Wh-what is your name…?” He sniffled and wiped his nose on his thin ragged sleeve.

“My name is Kiomè…I don’t like it here I want to go home.” I must not even be conscious then, I so hope that was the case.

“Barbatos is going to love the hell out of this…”

“Who?”

“It isn’t important, you’ll catch your death out here; take my jacket, come on, there you are.” He was so small, my jacket nearly swallowed him and he looked so fragile too. I understood why I was made fun of when I was younger, he looked like a baby faced angel with large curious eyes and full cheeks. If he had longer hair, and if I didn’t know better, I would swear he was a little girl. He was everything I hated about myself.

“Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?” I lifted his chin, it was then I saw the large bruises on his face and his split lip and I felt a surge of anger.

“Who did this to you!? Was it your sister?!” he flinched reflexively, covering his face with his arms and I let him go.

“Who hurt you Kiomè, was it the kids at school?” He looked at me and he chuckled a little.

“What game is this? I don’t want to play right now…” He tried to turn away but I grabbed him again.

“Just tell me who did this to you!” He looked so sad…

“…you did it…” I backed away from him unable to catch my breath.

“What?!!” he rolled back the sleeves and showed me the many cuts and bruises on his arms as well and I spotted the cuts in his knuckle from the time I punched the mirror.

“You did these too…” it was like every time I harmed myself or berated myself this little guy took it, why did I have to choose now to go on some weird psychological meltdown?

“Does it hurt?”

“Yeah…but you always say the same thing…you hurt me for the greater good, to keep them away from us. They love the smell of blood and I have to make my offering right? Like you said.” I’m definitely not awake…if I was then I was now deeply insane. The growls of wild beasts made us both jump out of our skin.

“What is that?!”

“Don’t worry, they can’t get past the bars.” I saw just a few feet away were several pairs of yellow eyes starring our way and I instantly knew what they were.

“My…anger…”

“You named them. That one is Nigami, she is Urami, Ikari, Boei, hakai and that is Fukushu.” He pointed to each of the silhouettes as though he knew them his whole life.

“Bitterness, resentment, anger, defense, destruction and…vengeance. I didn’t know they had names…they make sense.” I walked closer and they roared at me in response making me stop dead in my tracks. I looked to the child version of me who clung to the paper lantern as he followed me.

“If I hurt you so much, why do you stay by me?”

“We are in here together, I have no choice and you have good reason, the blood keeps them satisfied. The blood keeps them at bay, they can’t break the bars if they have it.” I hurt this little guy just to keep my anger in check? This doesn’t make sense, I am the one who’s a total reject why is he taking it?

But why…are you crying?”

“I don’t like it here, I want out but you always say we can never leave, we have to keep the monsters away.”

“But you said they cannot get through the bars, so then they can’t get us right?”

“That’s right…”

“Then let’s go, you and me, we can leave these monsters here and get the hell out of here!!” I took his small hand in mine and smiled at him. He was so broken and sad; he had been abused for so long I had to do something! I began looking around to find a way out of this place, I didn’t want to be here anymore either!

“But I don’t understand, you never talked about leaving the cage before.” I froze and looked to the pitch black sky…or was it the ceiling...?

“We are the ones in the cage?” He looked at me with sad eyes and nodded walking over to the bars and watching the tigers as they paced nearby. I don’t understand, this is never how I imagined it, why am I trapped in a cage while my anger roams free?! Why am I in the middle of a psychotic episode when everyone I care about is in serious danger?!! How can I be so useless that I can’t even get my shit together when people need me the most?!!

“They are becoming agitated…you’re upset again.”

“Well of course I’m upset!! My sister and my friends are in mortal danger and I’m stuck in this stupid dream! I want to save them, I don’t want to be in this cage, I don’t want to look at these things!! This is all because of you, if you weren’t such a weak little crybaby we wouldn’t be in this mess!! I don’t want to be here with you, I don’t want to be anywhere near you I hate you!!” I saw him flinched with a sharp yelp as though I struck him and as he looked back at me blood ran down his face. What had I just said?! I mean yeah I say I hate myself all the time but this never happened. He was bloody and bruised yet he didn’t even seem surprised.

“I know you do… I’m sorry, all I do is ruin everything. I’m always crying, I’m not strong enough and I look…” He cried lightly as he crouched to see the snarling beasts just feet away.

“I only cause you trouble, I only bring you pain, that’s why you hurt me every time you see me, it’s why they pace and fight so angrily.” His voice was so quiet as he held his back to me. He sat the lantern down and gripped the bars.

“No one wants me…maybe…maybe I should give myself to them.”

“What…?” He lowered his head and I heard a heavy sigh amongst the low growls.

“I am no use to anyone, I’m disgusting and if I were gone everyone would be happy. Maybe… if it weren’t for me you would be happy with Satan? You look at me and you hate me so much, you don’t want me around and it’s because I’m here you won’t let him in. If I die, you will be happy…if I give myself to them…” He was about to slip himself through the bars and they were coming for him!! I ran forward and grabbed him by my jacket and pulled him back before they could grab him from me. Their large paws came through and swiped at me and I fell back panting. I thought about what they would have done if they had taken him, how they would have destroyed him and I couldn’t stop staring at him as he slowly pulled himself from the ground.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!! Do you really think hurting yourself is going to solve anything?!! Do you really think killing yourself is going…” He looked at me with so much sadness, sadness that I know very well. Barbatos had asked me to write a letter to myself, he asked me what I would have said at to him if I had the chance…and all I could manage to do is yell at him.

“Why did you do that, why did you pull me back?! If I have no use then why not discard me, do you enjoy torturing me?!!” I didn’t know what to say, I remembered how I lashed out at Lucifer when he saved my life, how angry I was because I thought I was finally going to lose this pain I carried. I knew what he was feeling, and that broke my heart.

“No…I don’t like hurting you, but that…I don’t like that at all!! You can’t just kill yourself…you…don’t deserve that.” I crawled over to him and took his battered face in my hand. He knew all the pain I felt, he felt just as worthless as I do only…he was getting it from me. I had blamed Tèa for so much of my pain and anger early on that I didn’t realize I had picked up where she left off. When she didn’t hit me I cut myself, when she didn’t yell at me I said the hateful words myself and when she didn’t play her games I sabotaged my own happiness. She may have stopped hurting me but this little guy was still getting it nonstop!

“Look at you, you don’t deserve any of this, you haven’t done anything to hurt anyone or be a bother and yet you get shit day in and out. It isn’t fair.”

“Please, no more games, I can’t take it.” He shrugged me off of him and turned his back to me, curling into a tight ball.

“Kiomè, what do you call me?” His soft voice was just above a whisper like an oasis in the gritty sands of the tigers’ growls.

“Akuma…” Of course he does, I’m the source of his pain, of course he would call me a demon.

“But you are a demon too.”

“I’m nothing like you!!” I scooted closer and stared at his back, this poor little guy was so brokenhearted, I could feel his pain like it were my own.

“No, you’re kind and sweet. You’re selfless and you wear your heart on your sleeve; that much never changed. You cry because you don’t know how to express your sadness and anger in any other way, but there is nothing wrong with crying. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Don’t lie to me, I’m pathetic, I’m not a man like you! I’m just a weak little crybaby that looks like a girl! I came out wrong!”

“You didn’t come out wrong…”

“Why can’t I be like you?!”

“You ARE me Kiomè!!” The words came out before I could realize it and he looked at me with wide pretty eyes. I had this entire conversation with him and I hadn’t even seen it until now. The ugliness I tried to keep locked away with my anger…was him.

“None of this is your fault…it’s mine. You’re the part of me that I could never accept, the part of me that I hated because it brought so much trouble. I keep you in the dark away from everyone because I was ashamed of you, because I hated you. I wanted to be anything but you so I wouldn’t get hurt anymore! But we didn’t deserve the abuse, you never deserved that from her or from me! There was never anything wrong with you and I believe that now.” He faced me and scooted closer to gently wipe my face.

“You’re crying too…” I pulled him in and held him close the way I needed someone to at this age, the way my mother would have if I told her what I was feeling, the way my father would if I had let him in.

“I’m so sorry…I’ll do my best to never hurt you again okay? But if I get mean just remind me, speak up!”

“Okay…do…you not hate me anymore?” I looked into his sweet face and I know why all the older women cooed over me and the boys at school made fun, I was an adorable child, my mother’s pride and joy…her beautiful flower. On top of that I was sensitive and empathetic, I cared about others and was willing to fight for them. That was what Sae saw in me…he saw this little guy in me as well as those beasts and loved me anyway.

“No, of course not, it will take work but I want to love you.” I kissed his forehead and I saw his wounds begin to heal and he looked at me with such adoration before getting up with a laugh.

“Okay! Then we can start over again, we can pull the curtain and we never have to see these things again, we don’t have to see them. It will be you and me and we can be happy together!” He began to draw the pure white curtain to conceal the rage outside of the bars and I grabbed his hand gently.

“Why are we the ones in the cage while they roam free?”

“To protect us, so no one can hurt us again. Sometimes others try to come by and they keep them away, they keep us safe. The only one that wasn’t afraid was Satan, he made Ikari, Umagi and Nagami obey, they even liked him. Boei was mean but he listens to you now but the other two, they don’t like Satan or me. Satan wanted to come closer but you didn’t want him to see me and he went away…I liked him, he made me smile.” Sae could see into my very soul he saw all the pain as well as the sweet innocent boy I tried to bury in my darkness, this only made me feel worse about pushing him away.

“Hey, that lantern…” He clung to it like it were his life force I noticed it brighten when I told him I wanted to love him.

“It’s our only light in here, when we feel nice it gets brighter. Satan liked to see it and I like making him smile. He’s in a lot of pain…like us, he deserves to smile.”

“You love him, don’t you?” he looked down nervously as his face reddened.

“Is that bad?” Was it bad, I wasn’t sure, but one thing I was sure about:

“We are not hiding away in here anymore, come on.” I took his hand and reached for the latch on the door.

“What are you doing?! They’ll kill us!!”

“Kiomè, they are us too, just as you are a part of me, they are a part of us. I don’t like these parts but I cannot deny that they are just the same. I’ve denied enough for a lifetime. Don’t be afraid, I won’t let them hurt you.” He picked up the lantern as I opened the door and stepped out, gaining the attention of all six wild beasts. Four of them charged wildly with outstretched claws and I stood between them and my younger self.

“Back off, don’t you touch him!!” they halted immediately lowering their heads in forced submission, handling my lower levels was never the problem, I could make them stop by now. I needed something else in order to get out of here. I let go of Kiomè’s hand and reach out to touch them, they snapped at me but I didn’t relent and I ran my fingers into their soft downy fur. Each of the four saw the attention another was getting and nudged their way over like kittens vying for my attention. Suddenly the wild one broke through the pack and stopped only inches from my face as I knelt, snarling with a lust for blood.

“I know you Hakai, and I know what you can do but I am not going to let you scare me away anymore, I have to protect that little one there, so you can either fall in line or I will discard you completely.” I wasn’t even sure I could do that but I meant every word. I had to do something in order to get out of here and I was sure these guys were a big clue. Hakai lowered his head in submission and I petted him causing him to purr.

“You speak of protection, you know nothing of it! I have protected you all of this time and now you believe you can do it without us, without me?!” This wasn’t the voice from before, Fukushu stalked over with anger in his eyes he was all black and bigger than the others. He was the one that controlled me when my rage hit his level.

“You are not to control me anymore, you had no right to do what you did Fukushu!!”

“I did as needed to protect us all, you should have destroyed them! They will only cause harm later!”

“My friends, my family? You really believe I should hurt them so they don’t hurt me?! That only makes me the monster we despise!” He sat and looked to the little boy behind me who shuddered in fear.

“He has gotten to you…”

“No, I have gotten to myself and I am still doing that now!” A large grotesque purple figure broke through the trees and put us all on alert.

“Is what…from Raeliel?” it looked deformed, like someone threw a bunch of body parts together. It came toward us awkwardly with a large salivating mouth.

_Come…submit and be mine…._

“That thing wants to control us! Destroy it!” Fukushu glared at me for my order but let out a loud roar and the other five charged the figure and made quick work of it. I stepped beside him as we watched on and pet his head only to make him growl.

“That isn’t the last of it, this demon is trying to destroy people I care about! He wants to take us and our power and we cannot let him! I need you Fukushu.” He looked ahead as the others tore apart their prey and twitched his ear in irritation.

“Do you think you’re strong enough to do what I’ve done? Do you think you can make the decisions you need to?” I looked to the little boy of my innocence and back to the black tiger of my rage and I petted them both.

“Together we can, we have a job to do and you are going to submit to me.”

“I refuse, I will not be tied down by anyone.”

“Don’t you understand, you are my rage, you use my power and body and that means you are mine. Without him, without me, you don’t exist. So submit or die Fukushu!” He growled as he mulled over my words and the other five came back watching the transaction. He looked up to me and I petted him again.

“If you are strong enough to come out and face me, then you may be strong enough to lead. Very well, Shujin, I shall obey your command.” He and the other large cats laid at my feet in submission and I hugged my younger self with a smile.

“Would you like to know a secret Shujin?”

“What is it?” The tigers words echoed in my head as I opened my eyes to see more forest, but this time I saw the coming of the moon and of all things Barbatos.

“Welcome back, I was worried at first, I thought you would succumb to Raeliel’s power.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not much of a follower, ugh…what else was in that tea you gave me?” He pulled me to my feet and patted my back as I coughed, the sting of Raeliel’s punch left a nasty bruise but not the open wound my sister had told me about. I guess they fought it off after all.

“Just something you needed, it was supposed to take effect the next time you fell asleep and entered your subconscious.”

“Remind me to remodel the place if I ever go back, if I see any more forest it’ll be too damn soon.” I staggered and he held me steady, I must have been out a while, it wasn’t nearly this dark before.

“Of course when all is said and done I expect you to give me every detail of your experience.”

“Joy.” I took a deep breath and I could feel a surge of power within me, I normally only feel this way when I’m pissed off, but this ran through me like an electrical current. My mind was clear and all of my training went into the front of my mind as I thought of my friends that needed me.

“How do you feel?” I could feel my own aura overflowing. I was suddenly hyperaware of every movement and sound around me and I felt my instincts kick in.

“I feel…like I’m ready to fight.”

“Good, because I need you to be together for this, now let’s go.”


	19. Fighting the good fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is ready for battle, the gang will have to fight their friends and loved ones to survive...but tragedy will always strike.

PART 4 CHAPTER 19

J

“Hold on, what is so special about your brother that Raeliel wants him anyway?” Solomon had laid out his books and we were carefully reading the grimoires opened to the powers of angels. Eliza looked up at me as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Well you see, Kio has this ability when he is very angry, he can take his rage and manifest it into a substance, that substance destroys living matter on a molecular level and he can control its movements like another part of him.”

“Wait, you mean to tell me that Diavolo not only didn’t look deep enough into Riley’s background, but your brother has the ability to literally destroy people and he’s been allowed to come here as well?”

“Boy they just let anyone in this school don’t they?”

“He let the two of you in here and you guys are more than capable of doing some wicked things too! You only say that because they are demons!”

“Well in case you haven’t noticed, it was demons that framed me and had me locked up for months, I could have been killed. I haven’t done anything and yet I have been made the villain every time I set foot here!”

“First of all, it was Raeliel that did all of this, he framed you and made you look like you were guilty. You weren’t helping things by being secretive!”

“I came up to you because we were friends and you looked at me like I was insane! Your brother was kinder to me than you were and he set me up!”

“Kio wouldn’t hurt anyone, he only did what we asked him to because they were putting us under fire for Azrael! And I wasn’t allowed to talk to you, how was I to know you weren’t involved?!”

“You could have just asked me, we were friends, I had nothing to do with it!”

“Girls take it easy, fighting each other isn’t going to do anything. We already know Raeliel has been working at this for a while, he even went as far as taking an actual humans life and engraining it into himself. We made us all look like fools, now we have to focus on taking him out.” Eliza crossed her arms as she looked away and I took a breath. We were completely caught off guard by this situation and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel like an idiot, everyone I care about is in danger again because I didn’t see the signs! And Eliza almost lost everything because of this, her life is at stake, everyone was against her and she was afraid, and for her friends to turn her during such a time is just as painful as what I was going through.

“I’m sorry Eliza…”

“Whatever, we have to figure this out before he gets here.”

“Why hasn’t he shown up?” I looked over to amso playing with a makeup kit while mammon counted coins on the floor, they looked like they had the minds of children being driven by their innermost urges.

“I don’t know, maybe he wants to give us false hope…”

“Has he ever been to the house?”

“Now that I think about it, when we would hand out it was always at purgatory hall. He wanted us to lead him here.”

“But it isn’t rocket science to find the place.”

“Which means he may be thinking of a plan himself, aha, here it is!” We gathered to look at the book to the images he was pointing to, it was of an angel and I thought back to the moment in Riley’s room when we found him.

“Riley was locked away for weeks when we found him, he refused food and water all that time, when we tried to get him to speak he wrote the word kiss in the book. That was how Asmo was taken the first time.”

“So it was the kiss of life, you see in this situation he must have needed Asmo’s energy because he was too weak, but changed him in the process.” I read over the descriptions of this particular ability it had said that in order for it to take full effect, the one who took the power has to be the first to speak. Riley had said the words pretty kiss, I suppose it could be anything spoken as long as it was first.

“So this confirms that Asmo was taken in a different way, so maybe they cannot be controlled the same way twice?”

“With angels it doesn’t matter…they can take over a demon or human as many times as needed as long as it’s to assist another in need.”

“Beel, Belphie and Levi…do you remember being touched in the places you recived your wounds last year?”

“Yeah it was…well I guess it was Raeliel that touched my back to wake me up during class, I didn’t think anything of it until now. It was itching not even twenty minutes later.”

“We were in our cooking class, it was the day after she saved me, you brought me a lemon tart and you…gave me a tummy rub.” Beel blushed as he recalled it and I wondered and Eliza reddened too.

“Beel…no I didn’t, I was sick that day…”

“That settles that then, maybe it doesn’t work the same if he tries to do it on the same being twice.”

“That just leaves Satan as the only factor, and no one knows where he is.” There was a thud on the roof that shook the house and we all jumped.

“I guess our time is up.” Solomon scratched his head in irritation and I looked to Mammon and Asmo who looked upward as the sound.

“Why was his hold on Lucifer different from the others? Diavolo had to be hit twice and yet these two are…different.” They weren’t their usual selves but they certainly weren’t trying to kill us.

“Come out, come out wherever you are! Listen, how about we skip this whole theatrics and just come out now, we know what I want, just give it to me and I’ll go away.” We got down on the flood and crept to the window to see Raeliel standing in front of the house with Diavolo by his side, behind him, three dozen rouge demons ready to tear someone apart.

“Well that answers the question of what he was doing for the past couple of hours.”

“So we are going have to fight all of them?! What the hell, how did he get a small army like that?!” We watched his eyes dart to the window and he gave us a sly smile.

“Do you know what happens when one has willing participants? They heard my story of a human murdering a father in front of his children and they chose to lend a hand for my cause. Why was that such a hard thing to do Jetèa, why couldn’t you have given me what I wanted? I was going to make her the scapegoat for this whole incident, she was going to be locked away being tortured and scorned for being in on Azi’s plan and as soon as she went numb I would come to her rescue, feign acceptance and forgiveness only to make her suffering much worse. It would have been magical, seeing the hope fade from her eyes a second time. But you had to get involved, I had no qualms with you but you couldn’t leave well enough alone!”

“I get that a lot!” there was another crash upstairs and my heart sank.

“If Diavolo’s out there…” Levi lost all color as we all looked to the stairs to see Lucifer standing at the top of them.

“I mean you cannot win this, I’ll tell you what, give me the witch so she can witness the betrayal of her friends and I will allow the other brothers to live.”

“But that means I die regardless doesn’t it?!” He smiled again and this time turned toward the window his golden eyes glowing.

“Lucifer put his hands on me, he needs to be punished, nothing against you.”

“And what of my brother, my family will avenge me, this cycle needs to end Riley!!” He actually thought about this as the rouge demons snarled behind him.

“You are quite right there, and if your brother is just a taste of what your family has to offer I should be a little concerned. But then, I’m not going to hurt you, it will be all Lucifer’s doing, they should take it up with him.”

“They will know it wasn’t him! And what have you done with Kio?!!”

“Ah yes, he should be awake soon, I may have hit him too hard, I knocked him out. He’s alive and on the right side I promise.”

“DAMN YOU RILEY!!”

“Aren’t we all?!!” He stretched out his arms and laughed heartily.

“There is no reasoning with a madman!” Solomon raced back to his books and I noticed Eliza trembling as she lowered from the windowsill.

“Violence begets violence…it wasn’t a message for Lucifer…”

“What?”

“Azrael knew what happened, Riley told her everything…she sided with him because Serzen was trying to redeem himself and I didn’t give him the chance to show that. If I was able to let go of my hate, none of you would be involved in this, you wouldn’t be dying because of me. She meant it towards me, I was the cause of this.” She sided with Riley because she felt sorry that a demon actually wanting redemption was cut down before he could be saved, that was why she sided with him, that was why she became tainted.

“One regret I do have though…Azi was such an amazing girl, I would have loved to have her on my arm. Do you think an angel would want a Cambion, or do you believe she would have come around once she turned? She was beautiful even with her hair turned black…but she knew what she was getting into. Nonetheless I grieve her.” wait…didn’t he say during the interviews that she kissed him? Were they actually falling for each other or was this some twisted infatuation stemmed from a common goal?

“Sick bastard probably shifted into someone else and came to watch the show, he even cheated on me…ugh!”

“Oh that’s right, before I forget!” He shouted some command in Latin and to our horror Asmo and Mammon sprang into action. Lucifer stayed at the top of the stairs with scarlet eyes on me and it put a chill in my spine. Belphie, Beel and Levi changed and put me behind them but they weren’t looking at me.

“Guys, protect yourselves; they won’t hurt me!” No, Raeliel had plans for me and it involved the avatar of pride.

“What do we do?!” Eliza and Solomon pressed their backs to me as I thought.

“We need to get to Cerberus, he’s out back beyond the greenhouse, he will be a good source of protection! Go now!!” The three of us ran as the brothers began to fight and my eyes met with Lucifer’s who showed no concern of my attempt of escape. We burst from the back and through the fields and small woods where the greenhouse stood I slowed down and Eliza turned.

“What are you doing?!”

“I have to go to the greenhouse, you guys get to Cerberus, he is on the other side of those woods!”

“But Lucifer is after you!”

“If I’m unarmed I will be of no use with or without you! GO!!” They continued to run and I dove into the greenhouse locking it behind me just in time to hear the whoosh of his wings. Lucifer was much more powerful than me, but this was my domain, this greenhouse was full of toxic and carnivorous plants. I couched low and began to pluck seeds from the ones that would be the most help as the door tore open. It was dark but I could sense the vibrations from the plants, they could always tell me what I wanted to know.

“You’re running us futile, surrender your life and I will make it quick. Come now, are you going to die hiding in the dark like a frightened animal, how weak.” He was towards the carnivorous plants…I knew exactly where he was! The plants moved and shuddered to hide my own movement and I found the seed that may just end this thing. I tucked it in my hair as I felt a hand on the back of my neck. He pulled me up to face him with a satisfied smile and I fought to get out of his grip.

“There you are, why must you always be so defiant…” something changed in his eyes when he said that and I took the only shot I had.

“Luci…please, I know you don’t want to do this, just let me go please…I love you.” He stroked my face with a gloved hand, his ruby eyes softening before wincing in pain.

“You think you can spin sweet words and I submit to your whims? You believe I won’t rip the very life away from you?!” A plant moved behind him and my heart stopped, I knew exactly where he was, and if he was in his right mind he would never have come closer to me to grab me. He would never step into Oji’s range

“Lucifer don’t move!!” He moved his free hand to my throat and smiled wickedly.

“No more games, now be silent.” The large leaves of my Ojigi plant wrapped around him in a flash making him release me. I fell to the ground watching in horror as the plants salivating mouth closed around him as he fought, the leaves binding him further. Blood began to drip from its mouth and I snapped into action.

“OJI RELEASE!!!” the plant stopped his feeding process and dropped him with a loud wet thump. He coughed up blood and groaned in pain, I pulled off most of his clothing before grabbing the large bucket of sodium carbonate to dump over him and neutralize the acid. He was still breathing and not too injured, good, I turned and took the large pikes that were holding some of the other plants and drove them through his wing pinning him to the ground and making him scream.

“I’m sorry my love, but this way you don’t get hurt, I’ll be back for you!” I ran out of there, hoping I still had time to fight.

K

“This guy did all of this just to get back at someone who killed his father, I mean I guess I get it but damn he didn’t have to bring that business here! None of us had anything to do with it!” And now my sister was in danger because of this poser! It made my blood boil thinking about it!

“Try to remain calm and focused, it is imperative that we get there but we must also devise a plan.” We had plenty of drills for situations like this, but I was used to working with my siblings, and this land isn’t familiar enough to me to execute a maneuver.

“He would probably be at the house, I know he was trying to get them there, so we should survey the area and assess the situation, it may have changed since I was out.”

“Very wise Kiomè.”

“And for the record, I’m happy we are finally on a first name basis.” I never paid Barbatos much mind before but I know I would be in a big mess without him; sure he was only helping because I asked but I wouldn’t mind considering him a friend

“Well than you, I for one am excited to know what this experience will do to your way of thinking when this is over.”

“So you know we will survive then?” he didn’t answer and we stopped in our tracks to see someone in our way.

“Sae, what are you doing here?!” he looked like he was out of it, his eyes were vacant and angry at the same time and he moved like he was in pain.

“I should ask you that question…what are you doing crossing my path? Are you that stupid or do you want to die?!” I was already pissed and his attitude was not making it better but I remembered what that guy Raeliel had said, he had Sae so whatever was bothering him when we fought was related to this mess!

“Do you even know who I am?”

“Why are you asking me all these questions…you’re making me mad!!!”

“Really? Because I hardly know a time Mr. Wrathy McAngrybird wasn’t mad, so what difference do I make?” He came at me without warning and I dodged him without much effort, Barbatos stood back and I already know what he was doing. He wanted to see if I could do what I had to, I had no real intention on hurting him so I simply kept out of his reach as he tried again and again to grab me.

“What are you doing?!!! Stand still and FIGHT ME!!!”

“I’m not fighting you like this, now if you want to do some stupid shit like calling me out in front of the whole class again then yeah I’ll take a swing, but this isn’t my Sae.” Oh geez did I really just say that?! I didn’t have time to be embarrassed, he threw a punch that I luckily blocked but I left my stomach open which met with his knee and I was already still sore despite healing it earlier. It was my fault, I let my guard down around him, he won’t hold back on me and I put myself in this position. He slammed me on my back and put his hands to my throat with a snarl.

“You won’t have anything to say when I rip you apart!! I’ll peel your flesh away one strip at a time, break every bone in your body and watch as you drown in your own blood!!”

“Damn…you sure know how to show a guy a good time…” not the time for jokes, he had his knee in my chest and he was strangling me. I clawed at him but he ignored me it was Roarfest all over again…Roarfest, the night he let me into his sadness and I saw someone I loved…the first night I held him in my arms and desired him to stay there…

Why was I thinking of this now, I needed to escape this but I wasn’t thinking! It was then I noticed he had stopped applying pressure to my throat and I looked to see him staring at me wide-eyed.

“You’re…so pretty…” was he looking into my soul right now? What made him look, I thought he had to really focus on that. He let me go, completely focused on what he was seeing.

“Ha, you’re pretty hot yourself Babe.” He looked at me mystified and I reached up to caress his face and it reddened under my touch.

“Who…are you?” He doesn’t even know who I am but he still acts this way from my touch? Were you really in this deep Sae, were you being an ass to drive me away because you couldn’t stand being close by and not having me? Dammit…why did my heart twist this way? I petted his hair and he continued to look into me.

“Are you still mad?”

“I…I don’t know…what is this feeling?” I leaned up and kissed him and I felt him accept it, I was so damned selfish!! Why did I do that?! He was gone in a flash and was sitting several feet away looking like a scared cat.

“What is going on…why…why does my chest hurt?! Who are you, why do I feel like this?” I approached him slowly and saw the blood soaking his shoulder, the smell of sour meat making my nose sting. His eyes looked up to me fearfully, he wasn’t himself at all, this must be Raeliel’s doing.

“I don’t believe Raliel had given Satan any orders, the power seemed to reset him, the others weren’t thinking for themselves but I believe in this case he may be on some sort of autopilot, he reverted to his primal urges; he was nothing but wrath when he came to be.”

“But he changed when he saw…my soul.” He looked like he was confused and scared, his knuckles were bloody and ripped like he had been battering at trees in a rage. I knelt down to him, I had to get to the house but I couldn’t just leave him like this.

“Your name is Satan remember?

“I…I suppose, I just woke up here feeling so angry, why do I feel so angry?!”

“Well you are the avatar of wrath, but you aren’t angry all the time.”

“I’m not?”

“No, when you are deep in a good novel, you go on the wildest adventures you learn so much information and that makes you feel happy.” He looked up at me with wide eyes like a child clutching his shoulder mindlessly.

“What’s…happy?”

“It’s the feeling you get when you are around someone you care about, when you read a good book or when you hold a kitty. It’s a warmth in your chest that makes you feel a little bit afraid but it makes you feel really good at the same time.” He looked into me again and his eyes softened.

“I think…you make me feel like that, you’re beautiful and I want to stay with you if that is what it means.” Welp there went my heart.

“Well right now there are more people we care about in danger right now, we have to save them, will you come with me?” I held out my hand and he took it hesitatingly.

“Do you think it’s wise, Raeliel may take him over once we get there, will you be able to do what needs done if that be the case?” He played in my hair as he looked at me like a big kid and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Kiomè?” I looked to Barbatos with seriousness and that familiar anger resurfaced.

“He’s not taking anyone else from me.” He nodded and the three of us were off again, I’ll be there soon Tèa, hang on!

J

I ran as fast as I could to get to Cerberus’s field, the sounds of the rouge demons were not far behind me and I pulled out my rose and turned around but they averted their direction and went around me. they must have been ordered to leave me for Lucifer. This made me run faster and the flashing lights up ahead gave me hope. I ran up the hill and found Eliza and Solomon fighting off the demons with their magic. I unleashed my whip and this time these weren’t my family or people I cared about and I brought it down to cut them to ribbons with no remorse. These were no different than the bunch that tried to kill me, and this time I wasn’t showing mercy! I took out two in a matter of seconds and they backed off for only a moment but it gave me time to the cousins.

“You have one chance, go home now or we will kill you!” They laughed at that, these were demons who had joined Raeliel voluntarily, I thought they would have common sense to see danger when it was present.

“I don’t think they are going anywhwre!”

“You said that dog was going to be here!” There was no way Cerberus wouldn’t come to see what was going on with this much noise!

“He’s supposed to be-“ Just then Cerberus thundered down the field to my relief and then my horror when I saw who was on his back.

“Did you think I didn’t consider you would use the dog? Come now, I’ve planned this for a long time. I gave you a choice, and you chose not to take it, and I was trying to be nice Tèa.”

“Making her miserable is not going to bring your father back, you could torture her until she is a pile of broken bones and flesh and you will still feel that emptiness you do right now! This isn’t the answer!” he jumped down from Cerberus’s back in a rage his face red.

“And letting her walk free is?!! She found it the just punishment for my father he only tried to lure her away, he never meant for her whole family to die!! How dare you take her side!!” He took a breath and put on that sadistically cherry smile of his.

“Oh dear, I guess I was wrong about you Tèa, I will enjoy your death after all.” The rouge demons came for us and then it was a warzone, flashes of lightning flashed from Eliza’s hands hitting the targets and taking their limbs. Solomon made these magic circles that bound them. These rouges were fast and they weren’t fighting stupidly they had a plan, we only managed to take out ten of them and we were already getting tired and they were closing in on us.

“Thirty six on three is not fair at all!” I pulled a few seeds from my pocket and looked behind me before I started running and they quickly followed.

“Aw, I thought you had more fire than that.”

“What are you doing?!”

“Run ahead until you fall into the ditch!” I remembered there was a sort of trench just off from this hill and we ran for it the other demons close behind us. They dove in and I slung the seeds along, diving over the growing plants as they became high spikes shielding us and impaling several of them.

“Ah, clever girl, so do you think you can hold me down until the numbers dwindle, or maybe I can send the dog in, he may die in the process but he can get you out. That would be all the more reason for Lucifer to kill you right? Where is he?!” I had to think, the spikes weren’t concrete, they move as I wish them to, so if someone tried to come over I could defend us but he was right, this was only going to be good for a short amount of time and Raeliel was too smart for this!

“Oh, I get it, you’re trying to buy time in hope that back up comes! Ha, why didn’t you say so Shelia here you go!” Diavolo swooped down carrying Beel, Belphie and Levi who looked like they were hurt. He threw them down and Belphie instantly tried to fight back but was kicked down. The demon lords big hands grabbed the youngest brother by his hair and held him as Raeliel held Levi’s arm and held a foot on Beel. So Solomon was right, it was possible he couldn’t take over them a second time.

“Come now, here’s your back up right here! You know I will tell you what, how about for every time I have to ask for the witch I have one of their throats slit!”

“Don’t listen to him Tèa, only a punk ass bitch would make other demons do his dirty work!!” Diavolo pulled his large sword and put it to Belphie’s throat.

“BELPHIE!!!”

“Oh, well looks like we have a volunteer! You have until the count of three!!” Now I was panicking, what do I do, do I sacrifice one friend for another? I can’t lose Belphie but I would never forgive myself for giving up Eliza!

“ONE!!”

“What is the plan?!”

“I don’t know!!!”

“TWO!!”

“WAIT PLEASE!!”

“Welp I guess that’s thr-“ it was silent and I climbed out of the ditch to see my brother walk across the field to Raeliel, as if things couldn’t get worse. The demons grabbed me and turned my head to make me get a good view.

“Well hello, glad to see you found your way home.” Raeliel brushed my brother’s hair back with a smile.

“You started the fun without me, I’m hurt.”

“Well your sister was being difficult, so I was going to slit his throat for her insolence.” He looked down to Belphie who panted in panic.

“Kio?!!” He lifted his gaze and ignored me completely.

“Can I do it?”

“KIO!!!”

“What the hell?!!” He grabbed Belphie from Diavolo and held him by the throat with a smile.

“Don’t hesitate now.”

“I would never, I just enjoy the fear in his eyes.” He handed Kio a sword and he held it ready giving Belphie eye contact the whole time as he struggled.

“So this is how it ends huh, I thought we were friends, dammit this sucks!!”

“ _Heyyyo_.” I was confused and so was Belphie but Kio only smiled at him with eyes black as coals as he sang again.

“ _Heyyyo.”_ I saw Belphie’s eyes flash and Levi smiled.

“ _Tell em turn it up till we can’t no more_.”

“ _Let’s get this thing shakin’ like a disco ball_.”

“ _This is your last warning, a courtesy call!_ ” Kio swung the sword backwards cutting Diavolo in the chest and making Raeliel jump back. Allowing Beel and Levi to break free and get behind him.

“Only the real Kio knows our favorite song!”

“What the hell, it didn’t take?!” Raeliel clenched his fists in anger. Three of the demons continued to hold me as many of the others ran towards the newly formed group.

“Yeah, I’m not one for following orders, you can ask anyone here.”

“Unless it’s your mommy.”

“Belphie, it is not too late to give you back.”

“ENOUGH!! I am tired of this!!” They brought me over and put a knife to my throat I knew none of these demons were imposters so the danger was real.

“To hell with waiting for Lucifer, kill her and let her blood be your penalty!!” I felt the air get heavy as the marking appeared on his body again, oh no, this was bad. If he reaches level six he may destroy our enemies but he may not stop there! The smoky black aura of hells scorn flowed from him as it usually did and then engulfed him like a casing before two large wings stretched outward like black smoke. His shirt has been torn away by the change and I looked at him in awe, the I had never looked at his tribal marking this closely before but from the shape they took they covered his body and the birdlike shape they made when they came together on his back…it was like a phoenix! I had never seen these wings before and as he turned to me with his jet black eyes hidden by the markings on his face that now made me think of a face of a bird he looked…magnificent.

“The fiery bird…”

“Wow, well this is a pleasure; I get to have what I want after all.”

“That’s assuming you live long enough to try.” His voice was calm and he had the same smile as before, but I saw the black substance cover the demons that held me before turning them into mush. I panicked when it touched Beel in the process but nothing happened.

“What…it touched you but you aren’t hurt.” My little brother smiled and spoke with a calm and cool voice that gave me all the encouragement in the world.

“Because I’m the one in control now.” He did that to show us just how in control of the situation he was. Raeliel was far from amused as he stepped back with hatred in his eyes. The other demons came for us but the five of us fought alongside each other, The two of us had been training to fight as a team for most of our lives and with my plants and his sword work we were unstoppable! I sent my rose petals into the air and with Kio’s telekinetic power he sent them flying through the group like razorblades going through a brick wall in a hurricane. The five of us together had cut the numbers down to only four before they ran away in fear, much to Raliel’s dismay.

“Get back here you cowards!!!”

“Damn already? It seems like having voluntary help isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.”

“I don’t need them! Cerberus, destroy them!!” I hadn’t thought of what we would have to do to Cerberus! Kio stepped forward and gave direct eye contact as he charged.

“Cerberus, down!” He stopped dead in his tracks and lay down with a whimper.

“Did you forget I still have your friends?!” Mammon, Asmo Diavolo and Lucifer were still under his control, I had Lucifer subdued but I wasn’t sure for how much longer. Now it seemed we would have to fight our friends. Now Raeliel looked calm again as he saw the fear on our faces.

“Wait, where is Asmo?”

“He went to retrieve a little something for me, what will you choose, your own lives or the lives of your friends?” I was back to the moment before he showed up again and I couldn’t stop shaking, what were we going to do?!

“Don’t start that, where’s my control freak of a sister?!”

“What are we going to do, we can’t kill them, can you manipulate them?”

“Their minds aren’t really there, it would be like trying to mold dry sand, it was different with the dog. Sorry, but I wasn’t prepared for this guys.”

“So we just subdue them, we won’t hurt them.”

“But how well is that going to work? It didn’t work this far and they kicked our asses!”

“Oh dear, oh dear, what are the young fools to do? If you had given me what I wanted it wouldn’t have been this hard. And don’t think you could’ve snuck this one by me, were you planning to keep him as a pet?” Satan walked up beside Raeliel and I watched my brother’s face change to utter rage.

“Keep control Kio…”

“In honesty it was my own fault, my tools only speak when spoken to or however they need to in order to complete their objective. I should have known better than to let you fool me, but it won’t happen again, I will make you pay.” He petted Satan like he were a cat and I could tell it got under my brothers skin. This was bad, now we had to fight our family or die, I didn’t see an easy way out of this.

“Let’s see, eeny meenie miney…Satan, go kill Kiomè. As tired as I am, I bet this would be very entertaining to watch.” Satan let out a growl and came straight for us my brother holding the sword in a daze.

“What do we do?!”

“Do we fight him?!!” Kio was frozen he was in no way prepared to fight Satan and in the matter of an instant it was over and the distance was closed. Blood spilled to their shoes and I was dizzy with what I was seeing.

“NOO!!!”

“Oh no…this can’t happen!!”

“How could he do that!! Satan what the hell is wrong with you!!” Kio stood shaken as Satan held an arm around him, the other he had used to guide the sword to impale himself.

“W…wh…what…what the hell did you do Sae?” blood spilled from his mouth as he smiled and whispered something to him just before he lost his strength and fell. I knew this night would be full of regret, but I was hoping I would be wrong.


	20. I want to be Your Sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan has attempted make the ultimate sacrifice to keep from killing Kio which spurs the others to fight their hardest to keep it from happening again. Through quick wit and determination Raeliel received what was coming to him, now to pick up the pieces.

Part 4 Chapter 20

K

No…no no no, you were supposed to stay with Barbatos, why didn’t you stay with Barbatos?!! He was standing there next to him and there was nothing I could do about it. The next thing I knew…he was holding me; I could feel the warm liquid spill down my body and the smell of blood overpower my nose…but…

“W…wh…what…what the hell did you do Sae?” I saw the blood spill from his mouth as he smiled at me, that answered my question.

“I couldn’t resist his call…my feet moved on their own and I had no choice. He told me to kill you…and my feet moved against my will…” He began to fall and I kept an arm around him to ease him to the ground as the sword I held slid from his torso.

“No…no, no!! Sae, why did you do this, why?!!” I could hear my sisters’ cry behind me and the worried sobs of the others beside me. This was my fault…Barbatos warned me not to bring him here!!

“He said to…kill you, and I didn’t like that…”

“Then why didn’t you move?!! Why did you do this, why didn’t you just kill me?!”

“My feet moved on their own, if I didn’t do something I would have killed you as soon as I reached you.” The way I held the sword…he had just enough time to move it upward just a little and stop himself before he could get within arm’s reach.

“And I didn’t want to kill you…I did at first when I met you…but you make me feel things…” He reached up and touched my face like I did to him earlier in the woods and I couldn’t hold back my tears. I threw the sword aside and he was bleeding so fast! I put my hand over his wound and I tried desperately to heal him, I could not lose my focus now I had to save him!!

“I didn’t want to put out those lights…you’re beautiful…so I had to…” He began to go limp in my arms but I had to keep focused, he needed to stay conscious or I would lose him! Dammit, I cut the Aorta!! A human would bleed out in under ninety seconds but an artery this major wouldn’t give him much more time, I had to close it, I had to keep him awake!!

“No, no, you can’t just tell me something like that and then do this!! You can’t leave me Sae, don’t leave me please, I love you!!” I felt hands on my back but I wasn’t aware of where I was anymore, the way his eyes seemed to dull made me panic and then just a flicker of curiosity.

“Wh…what’s…love…?” I noticed that now, under all that rage, he was so curious; this was why he read so much and why he studied like he did. He wasn’t trying to be the smartest more than he just wanted to understand the world around him.

“It’s when you care about someone the most and you want to do everything to make them happy. It’s when seeing them happy makes you happy…it’s…when you would rather die than be without them…” Faster, work faster, heal faster dammit!!

“Oh…if that’s what it means…then I love you too.” I closed it, but there were other vessels bleeding too and I had to focus on them. He lost so much blood; he could still die if I don’t close them all! If he doesn’t make it I will never be alright again, not after saying something like that!

“You’re so dark…I want to see it sparkle…please…” How can he ask me that now…of all times, how can I will myself to be happy?! But it was just like the poem…

“The little raven laying on the forest floor, was soon to have his last breath…and be no more. But as his eyes began to close and his heart was soon to stop, a warm bright light climbed over the mountain top. The sun’s rays cloaked the sad dark bird in the warmth of its unyielding love, and that little raven found his worth in the light that shone above. He smiled…and a single tear fell from his pitch black eye…he knew he was truly loved before he had to die…” I was a mess…I was supposed to be making him happy and I couldn’t stop sobbing!

“That’s…a lucky…little bird…” I kissed him so tenderly… If I wasn’t so scared he would have known what love was long before now. If I hadn’t played with his heart he wouldn’t have been in so much heartache. If I had stayed focused and didn’t choke he wouldn’t have tried to kill himself in order to not kill me!

J

“Oh wow, well this was not the plot twist I was expecting, but it as entertaining all the same.” Raeliel was seriously getting on my nerves now and I was infuriated by his smile!! My poor baby brother was beside himself as he tried furiously to heal him, he was soaked in his blood and crying, trying to stop the bleeding before time ran out. Belphie and Beel watched on trying hard to hold back their own tears and poor Levi hid his face, I knew he was crying too. I touched his back trying to comfort him but he didn’t realize I was there.

“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault!!” The bleeding finally stopped but Satan was no longer moving. Kio held him close as he sobbed and I was afraid to ask if he was okay.

“Why, why didn’t you just kill me?!!” Barbatos was over here quickly, I hadn’t even thought about contacting him about this situation, but it seemed he had been here for a while. I moved out of the way as he put his hands on him trying to pull him out of his panic and grief.

“Kiomè, you need to think clearly here.”

“I have to save him, I have to help him.”

“If you heal him completely, it will use a lot of your energy and you won’t be able to fight to your full potential. You may become usele-“

“I DON’T CARE!! This is my fault, I shouldn’t have brought him here in the first place! I have to help him!!” I understand now, he is trying to be Kio’s voice of reason. If he does render himself useless by healing Satan, we may face more casualties; he has to be able to realize that. But if he doesn’t heal him all the way he could die…this was a horrible decision to make, but I already knew his answer from the beginning. He was giving it his all now, he was going to do what he could.

“Barbatos it’s okay, none of us would argue his choice.” He looked to each of us and nodded, we would do what we had to in order for all of us to make it, no matter what.

“I had a feeling he would be a little wonky if I infected him after Azi used him last year, but I didn’t expect him to act somewhat on his own, I suppose I wiped his mind but not his inner voice. I guess you learn as you live! Oh and you have healing powers too, well that’s very useful, but I don’t want to give you the chance to finish. Diavolo, dispose of them.” Raeliel flicked his wrist and the demon lord came forward and I plucked the seed from behind my ear. I wasn’t about to let anyone else pay for this demons’ crimes! I unleashed the cape sundew that grew to ten feet tall and it’s red tentacles quickly grabbed the Demon lord and Mammon too as he moved forward. The others looked on in a mix of awe and fear as the long tentacles of the plant swung rapidly for their next catch.

“What the hell is that Tèa?!”

“The Drosera Capensis, also known as the Cape Sundew. It is a carnivorous plant derived from the South African region, it uses the dewy beads on its tentacles as bait before wrapping them around their prey.”

“But you said carnivorous, won’t it kill them?!”

“I had been working on breeding a species that used its sticky secretions more as a way of trapping instead of trapping and digesting. I wanted to create a new type of adhesive that would immobilize ay would be intruders. I hadn’t tested this generation yet and I hoped it would work.”

“You _hoped_ it would work?!!”

“What other option did I have Levi?!” The plant kept hold of Diavolo and Mammon but they did not begin to digest, it worked! I was so relieved to have some good news. I watched Raeliel’s face as he was thwarted once again and he began to laugh.

“Fine, incapacitate your friends, kill my army, but I have already gotten what I came here for! Asmo has already captured the witch while you were trying to figure out if you were going to fight your friends!” He laughed maniacally and I looked over to the ditch, I hadn’t focused on the plant guarding them, were they really gone?!

“Well actually…” Solomon popped up from the trench with a smile before climbing out with Asmo behind him.

“What…is this?!!” Raeliel shouted hoarsely, we were all just as baffled.

“You see Barbatos had come to us long before that and transported my cousin to safety, I stayed behind and watched to try to figure out the flaw in your tricks. One thing I realized is that when you transferred your energy into these demons you never gave them a particular setting as Azrael had. She was smart enough to cover her tracks to make it look like there were pact marks on their bodies instead of the clean burns but you didn’t bother to hide them and the wounds became infected instead. Also she made them behave like they normally would until she needed them once the power took hold. When it took hold here, their minds reset and they became childlike in their way of thinking until you decided to use them, this was sloppy!!” Solomon unveiled Asmo’s chest that was already healing thankfully, he looked a little out of it but he was much more normal than even when we found him earlier.

“And once you said that Azrael had used Satan first that was what really lit the light bulb! You didn’t use the same demons twice because you knew the effects wouldn’t quite be the same. When you tested this out on Satan, his body was reverting to the setting Azrael had given under the same conditions but it backfired on you when he was able to override your order even a little bit! You infected Asmo with the Kiss of Life last year but in doing this transfer which was similar I was able to use our pact bond to override the weak hold you had on him.”

“Belphie, are you getting any of this?”

“Honestly, I stopped paying attention after he said the witch was gone already.”

“This is like every anime trope where the side character comes in and explains everything…OMG am I in an anime right now?!!”

“What does any of this nonsense have to do with anything?!!” I started walking towards him, I wanted nothing more than to punch him right in his face for everything he’s put my family through!

“What it means is that all of your pawns have been taken from you, you have no more hands, you are without any more weapons and Eliza isn’t even here for you to kidnap anymore! It’s over Riley!!” Belphie, Beel, Levi and Barbatos stood by my side as we confronted the true cause of all our conflict this year and last. We were fully fed up with this and it was almost at an end. Raeliel backed up as we approached him looking angrier than ever as he began to tremble.

“How dare you, it will never be over, not until I have her; it will never be over until she sees how she has wronged me!!”

“Shut up.” We turned to see Kio walking forward slowly, covered in Satan’s blood from his chest to his feet and his eyes dark as shadows. He was in control for a while but after what happened I feared he would unleash his own wrath upon all of us when he was done with our foe.

“She killed your dad, I get that, shit wasn’t right. You lost your family, yeah that sucks. But you brought that shit here and involved countless other demons that had nothing to do with it! Thirty low class demons, thirty four rouges counting the two you conspired to take out my sister, a human you murdered to steal their identity and an angel who actually believed in you! Sixty six lives needlessly taken for you to avenge one!! And don’t get me started on the ones you injured with your tricks and lies…” His wings were gone and I could tell he was a lot weaker than before, but from the pitch black eyes that bore into the lanky demon I was sure he was far from unable to fight.

“I want so badly to kill you…Fukushu wants to taste your blood on his tongue…”

“That’s a badass metaphor, wish I came up with it.”

“Yeah Kio, tell that Hot Topic reject, goth wannabe bitch just who he is!!” The two stood just a foot apart and my heart pounded at what may happen next. Raeliel began to laugh again and all of us readied ourselves for his next plan.

“Aww, what are you going to say, that I’m not worth it? Are you going to say that you pity me!! Yes, I destroyed so many lives, none of them ever mattered to me!! My sisters, my father, they mattered!! Ever since-”

“Don’t get me confused with my sister; I don’t give a fuck about your backstory! You brought your bullshit to _my_ family and what I was going to say was that killing you will ruin everyone’s chance to take turns kicking your ass!”

“YES!!!”

“That is why he’s band leader!! Savage like no other!!” I was feeling a bit of pride at my baby brothers words myself but Raeliel showed no fear as he began to laugh again.

“Go ahead and try, you already gave me all I needed to kill you all for your inconveniences.” His own violet aura began to flow from him and in an instant I understood what he meant; he was trying to mimic Hell’s Scorn!

“Kio you need to move!!” My brother stood his ground making direct eye contact as Raeliel laughed in satisfaction.

“What’s the matter, you don’t seem to have anything else to say! No more jokes or smart ass come backs, I told you all I had to do was see you in action and now I can kill you bastards once and for all!!” The violet smoke exuded forward and brushed over my brother who didn’t even flinch. Instead he turned back with a nonchalant smirk.

“You guys ever wonder why the bad guys always laugh so much? I mean if I was that bat shit crazy I’d laugh too.” We stood confused as the substance nearly engulfed him but he remained unharmed, and then Raeliel began to scream.

“What is this, what is going on?!!!” his arms began to deteriorate until they were nearly down to the bone and he stopped his would be attack. He kept screaming in a way that made my stomach churn and I was sure seeing his arms reduced nearly to bones up to his elbows would haunt me for years. The others gasped and retched while Kio watched on expressionless before bending down to lift the inured demons face.

“I’ll let you in a secret man, you see there is a reason my ability is a little rare, I didn’t learn it and I didn’t get it from some book. Only those of my bloodline can possess it and only those with certain traits can wield it. My own older sister lacks the necessary genetic makeup to use such an ability, so what makes you think you can?” Now it was Kio that was laughing, he must have known that Raeliel would try it and put himself front and center in case it would harm us too. He was no longer the panicked mess he was before, he was out to get his own revenge and put an end to this.

“You are nothing but an imitator, a fraud, your attacks and abilities are counterfeit and not even good ones! You taint everything you touch and you do not deserve the gift your father gave you.” He gripped Raeliel’s throat and I saw my brothers claws, he was going to kill him. I raced forward and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his back.

“Not like this!! Kio…not like this…I know what he did, I know he hurt us all, and what happened to Satan… But you can’t end it like this, I know you, his blood will haunt you like every other life you took to protect your family. You are too good and he is not worth you being pulled back into darkness! It won’t fix things…that is the point of this!” I could feel his heart beating so strongly as he fought with himself, I know you’re in pain, I know he should pay, but this makes us no better!

“You have done amazing with controlling your anger, you’ve done better than us…one more time…please…he isn’t worth more nightmares…please baby brother…” I felt him lower his arm and then I felt his fingers in my hair as he let out a small sigh.

“Nee-chan…” He said it so affectionately that it took my breath away, did…I finally redeem myself with him? I let him go as he gripped Raeliel’s throat tighter to prove his point.

“You have my sister to thank for your pathetic life being saved from my hand. I have only one thing I will give you if you walk in this realm or another ever again.” He pulled him close to stare deeply into his eyes.

“You will never mimic another ability again, if hard work and discipline cannot achieve it, then it is unattainable to you!” Mental manipulation was a blessing and a curse in our family, he never wanted to be able to use it to the extent our mother and grandmother could but it seems he accepted another small part of himself. I turned back to the others who were busy with Diavolo and Mammon as they were getting them down from the plant.

“Ahhh!! What the hell am I doin’ up here?!! Get me dowwwnn!!!”

“This is an amazing creature, I must have it in my garden!” Solomon turned and smiled at me as I ran up to him and met with Asmo’s arms around me.

“Oh Rose! That was the worst thing ever! I actually broke into a sweat it was horrible!!” I hugged my friend, never more happy that he was back to his usual narcissistic self.

“I was able to cast a spell to negate the effect of Raeliel’s manipulation. They should all be back to normal now, and judging from how ole Cerberus is acting I say he just needed a bit of time for it to wear off.” The three heads began licking me happily from behind and I scratched him with relief and joy. He suddenly perked and ran away from us and it was then I saw the figure in the distance limping toward the commotion.

“Lucifer…” He stood there just feet from me his eyes downcast and a broken wing hanging beside him. He was trying to kill me over an hour ago and now we stood there unsure of what to say to each other.

“Tèa…I know I don’t deserve to ask this of you…and I know you’ve moved on but…I cannot help but still feel this overwhelming fear that you may have been hurt. I came to see that you were safe.”

“You look like death warmed over and you came to see that I was alright?” He shifted his feet and fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the grass at my feet.

“It was all I was ever worried about, the thought of losing you again…it haunts me. To even think of your lifeless body…I couldn’t bear it…” Lucifer, the very avatar of pride was groveling at my feet!

“And yet I was nearly the very cause of your demise!! If I wasn’t so blinded by my arrogance and anger I would have seen the true danger beforehand! I had been trying to take better control of the family when I should have gained their support as you said! I was a fool!! I kidnapped your brother, I betrayed your trust and I lied to you and in doing so I ruined my chances of having any light amongst my darkness…”

“Lucifer…”

“I should have left you alone, I should have let you go if not to avoid the debacle I had made you suffer! I bear the full weight of this tragedy, but do not change your thinking of my brothers please…despise me all you wish, but they need you.” I lifted his head and kissed his wet cheeks until I met his lips and he pulled me into his arms. I didn’t care that he was still a mess or that he was an arrogant child at times, what mattered now was showing him that I could let my wall of pride down too.

L

“You would take me back, after all I’ve done, why?” She looked at me with those olive jewels that captivated me most and smiled weakly.

“What have you done Luci? You did kidnap my brother and you did lie, but you did so to protect me and you not only saved his life but you watched over him to keep him safe as well. Kio trusts you, and that means a lot because he doesn’t trust many. You only tried to kill me because you were being controlled by someone else, that isn’t your fault. I have wanted to take you back for weeks…but my own pride wouldn’t let me apologize.” I felt my heart ache at the words, I know exactly what she felt.

“If of course, you would take me back?” I took her face in my hands and kissed her, I missed the way she would put her arms around me, I missed her touch!

“Of course…always…my kindred spirit.” She reached into her shirt and pulled out the necklace I had given her in engagement, she never even took it off and that warmed my heart further.

“Now that is quite a display yes?” Such a wonderful beautiful moment couldn’t have been ruined more by any other person.

“Reo, what are you doing here?!” My Father came forward with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.

“He has been coming here a lot Beloved, in fact he is thinking of transferring himself.”

“Oh-ho, cheeky! You wouldn’t so much as utter an ounce of remorse for the wrongs you have done towards me and yet I watch you grovel like a dog at this young lady’s feet. I knew she was a special one, did I not say so Simeon?”

“Yes Father.”

“You’re here too?!!”

“Oh yes, in fact I took pictures, such a touching moment I had to capture it.” I would have had some very choice words for him if I weren’t trying to mind my fiancé’s ears. We stood and began walking toward the others my nerves being grated by the smile on my father’s face.

“Now we are here because Solomon called us, he showed us the proof in a video from this very spot that this demon was behind it all.” Over a dozen archangels had come with the force of meteors to apprehend the demon responsible for all of our drama these past two years. I saw him being lifted up as his arms weren’t of much use and they bound him in celestial chains. I looked on to the others who rushed over with cheers that I was more or less in one piece until they saw our father beside me.

“Well hello boys, long time no see!”

“Is he joking? It was just a couple months ago…”

“That’s the joke Beel.” My brothers refused to come closer and he put his outstretched arms down.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s for the best, I have to say for what we saw take place here I am very proud that it was the lot of you that apprehended the fiend. You may no longer be under my care, but I will say that I am proud of you six even if it means nothing to you.” They averted their eyes and I kept my silence, there was no fixing the bridges burned those many millennia ago. I sharp sting brought my thoughts back to the present and father turned at my wince of pain.

“Oh dear, that’s a nasty break.”

“Father may I?”

“Of course, go ahead.” Simeon reached out to heal my wing and I backed away.

“I thought he was forbidden!”

“Without permission, and even so I am allowed to learn and change from my mistakes as well am I not?” He held my gaze for a moment and turned his attention to Kiomè who was walking off by himself.

“Who is that little one?”

“He is my little brother sir.” He turned to Tèa with a spark in his eye.

“Ah, the apple does not fall far! I must go and speak to him!” And off he went to his next venture as though there wasn’t an issue thirty feet away he had to tend to!

“Lucifer, my friend.” Diavolo threw his arms around me and nearly toppled me over.

“You are alright, I am so glad! We finally got the scoundrel, it’s finally over!”

“Yes, thankfully.” I looked around to the others and I noticed their faces were still somber despite the very recent victory.

“Where…is Satan?” No one would meet my eyes and my Beloved quickly wiped her tears as she turned away. So we weren’t all here after all…

K

“I came right back, just as I promised Sae, see?” I took his hand in mine as I pulled him into my arms. He wouldn’t wake up, I healed him up but he wouldn’t wake…did he lose too much blood after all, was it shock, a coma? I was too terrified to check his heart but he was still slightly warm…he had to be alive…he had to.

“Come on, you have to see what they are doing to that jackass. You have to get up…” He didn’t move, but the slight rise and fall of his chest gave me hope and a sigh of relief escaped me.

“See…you were just faking, being an asshole and making me worry…” I kissed his head as I hugged him close, I couldn’t lose it right now, not now!

“Hello little one, may I ask your name?” I looked up to see a tall older man in a pressed light grey suit knelt in front of us and it made me leery. His eyes shimmered and changed colors as he smiled at me and I could feel compassion and patience from him.

“My name is Kiomè Sir.”

“You are Jetèa’s brother I have heard; it is nice to finally meet you, if you do not know I am Lucifer’s…creator.”

“Ah, well I have some suggestions for a better model.” He let out a hearty laugh and I felt more at ease until he saw Satan in my arms.

“Oh dear…I saw what happened, is he alive?”

“I think so…he’s breathing but he won’t wake up.” He reached down and petted his hair sadness filling his eyes.

“He’s lost too much blood…the oxygen couldn’t get to his brain and other organs…he’s alive for now but…I am unsure of how long this will last, if he comes out at all.” I could feel the tears filling my eyes as he spoke to him, I was too late, I couldn’t heal him fast enough…

“I hated you because I felt you caused my family to be torn apart. But I watched you sacrifice yourself for someone you cared about…no ulterior motive or hope for reward, just simple love…a pure demon born from hatred learned what it was to really love. It seems this family changes everyone they encounter yes?” Sae didn’t move, he didn’t even flutter an eyelash and my heart twisted. The man looked into my eyes and tilted his head curious.

“What an unusual soul you have.”

“I get that a lot…” He looked to me and then to Sae and sighed.

“The purpose for the kiss of life is to save those in peril that were meant to live a longer life. When used correctly, the one giving the kiss gives their own energy to sustain the receiver’s life force. But it is only to be used to save others who should have lived, Azrael as it turns out used it to strengthen this demon because she felt pity for him not to save him. After Solomon gave us the information and looking through the information we had we realize that was the moment she became corrupted. We are forbidden from lengthening the life of a mortal but our powers are meant to safeguard and uphold those who acted in a way that supports what we stand by.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He looked down to Sae again and chuckled.

“He should have lived several millennia more, but he sacrificed that time to save your life. He didn’t even know who you were to him at the time he just felt love for you. He fits the criteria but he is a demon…we aren’t supposed to do such things for them, being that they stand by cruelty and evil. But I am also learning that there are more to demons that meets the eye, I have been shown that time and again by your family.” He leaned over and kissed Sae’s forehead and ever so slightly color returned to his face and his breathing deepened.

“Let that be my apology to you little one, Lucifer was right about you, you are not the abomination I perceived you to be. Do us all a favor and keep this to yourself, no one needs to know, especially Lucifer.”

“Yes sir.” He stood and left after that, and I held Sae close to my chest.

“I love you, I love you so much and I never want to lose you again…” But therein lied the next hurdle, it would mean I would have to tell my family and my friends…was Sae more important than the fear and shame I felt, could I accept the stigma of loving him? Could I accept never letting this happen between us?

J

Reo reappeared with a bit of a pep in his step as he winked to me and headed to Diavolo patting him roughly on the shoulder with a smile.

“I have to say, you are an unorthodox lad but you get the job done.”

“Ha! And we didn’t even need a trial to do it!”

“Your father would be proud of you!”

“I cannot take all the praise, it was a team effort, I cannot say I did much at all really. Even Solomon was the one who created the spells to set us free and contacted you to come and receive Raeliel, I did nothing.”

“You led your people, and highlighted their strengths, even in your absence they came together and united for your sake, _this my boy_ , is what makes a king!” Diavolo blushed and laughed as they continued to chat as the seven of us looked over to Solomon speaking to the archangels as they secured Raeliel.

“See Reo isn’t all bad.”

“He isn’t all of anything.”

“Except a pain in the ass.”

“Agreed.”

“Did…did Solomon actually save the day?”

“He did play an unusually big part.”

“That makes my skin crawl.”

“I refuse to believe this as cannon.”

“As do I.

“Solomon didn’t save the day; All in favor?” We gave a unanimous ‘Aye’ and laughed at our rare unity.

“We haven’t agreed on something like that since we put a lock on the fridge.”

“I didn’t agree to that.” they chuckled and I caught Kio carrying Satan over, a peaceful look on his face.

“He’s okay!” they all raced forward to see their brother and I watched them rejoice together, we made it through with no casualties after all…we were all together again. Maybe this time…this time we can put this all behind us. These two years were insane and wonderful and stressful, but I held to the hope that all was not lost, that we could finally find peace, a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Tèa?” I hadn’t noticed my brother come up to me, he pulled me into his arms and I felt the warmth of his love and affection that he had held back from me for nearly ten years.

“I forgive you.” I felt the words shoot me right in the heart and I wrapped my arms around him as tears filled my eyes.

“I love you Nee-chan.” I couldn’t even respond, I just held him tight as I cried, happy to finally have rebuilt my bond with him.

K

I had been sitting by his bed for as long as I could until my sister made me go to bed and I slept most of the next day. I jolted out of bed and found that it was well after noon and I raced to Sae’s room to find him gone. I stood there staring at his empty bed trying to reassure myself that he was alright and I didn’t imagine him bringing him home last night.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?!” I spun to see him standing behind me holding a book he must have picked from the library. He was just fine, he was not only alive but he was just fine!

“Sae…”

“I asked you a question Kio.”

“You’re okay…”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” I pulled my hand back and I felt myself pale.

“You don’t remember?”

“I remember you punching the hell out of me the other day…” He moved past me and sat his book on the nightstand by his chair and stood with his back to me for a moment. He had no memory of yesterday…he doesn’t know what I he did or what we went through…

“And in honesty I deserved it…listen Kio…” He turned around looking at me like with eyes that pierced my heart. If he didn’t remember what happened…how can I tell him?

“I was being a complete asshole that day, you were right, I did feel your words. But it was what you said, that you would give me both what I wanted and deserved; I can’t have both. You say I deserve to be loved fully, but…anyway that doesn’t matter.” He closed the distance and lowered his eyes, blushing just a little.

“I was horrible to you for no reason and I want to apologize, you never deserved that.”

“But Sae…”

“I know I made a mess of things, but I am okay with this arrangement, really. I just had to learn to get my other emotions in check, I don’t want to be uncivil towards you, it defeats the purpose of this right?” I felt my heart crumble…if he didn’t remember, and he was alright with us not even being friends, then who am I to confuse things further?

“…right…” He smiled but I felt my heart break, was this what you felt each time I turned you away Sae? Did you feel like hell itself burned at your heart?

“Did you hear that they caught the guy behind everything?”

“I heard the others talk about it, I never would have suspected the human, Diavolo really needs to screen better.”

“Yeah…do…do you remember anything from yesterday or even last night?” He looked at me and I reached up to touch his face, please remember something!

“What are you doing?” I snatched my hand back and lowered my eyes, I bit my tongue so hard it bled.

“Sorry, I…saw a fly…” He eyed me and then cleared his throat.

“I remember feeling a lot of pain in my shoulder, and I remember going to the library on campus to read away from everyone. But the next thing I know, I wake up in my bed; I’m sorry, but I don’t.” And so that was it…I wasn’t going to betray his wishes, I will never speak of it and hopefully he will feel better…he had already made up his mind to not want me anymore. I was too late after all.

“Well then, I suppose I should leave, I don’t want to intrude further.” I turned to leave every step feeling heavier to take.

“Hey Kio…” I stopped at the door, I refused to turn, he couldn’t see my tears.

“Jetèa told me that your parent’s anniversary is next week.”

“Yeah, twenty years…I nearly forgot.”

“Is it alright if I go to their party, I want to pay my respects but if it makes you uncomfortable...”

“We aren’t enemies Sae…nothing else has changed, I know they would want you there. Everyone else is going anyway, it would be stupid to stay here by yourself.”

“I mean I could always get some reading done, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Just shut the hell up and go!! We both know my mother will catch a fit if you don’t.” I was breaking…I had to go.

“Then I will go…”

“Bye Sae.” I left to the attic just in time to lose my breath and my walls. He had built his walls and he’s made his peace…I would only cause more damage by speaking up now. If I wasn’t such a coward I would have had him! But there was nothing to do now…I had to get used to a life without even having him as a friend…at least he was alive and I know he would have given his life for mine; I will always have that to take solace in.


	21. Homecoming tensions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Minamino siblings and the brothers come back home to celebrate their parents 20th anniversary but it's proving hard to keep the problems of the Devildom in the Devildom.

Part 4 Chapter 21

J

“Has everything been made ready? You spoke with all of your professors about the vacation?”

“Of course, and I spoke with Kio’s professors too, final exams are over, so this late in the year we wouldn’t be missing too much.”

“I have taken the same initiative for my own brothers, they seem to think just because they helped capture a criminal that they wouldn’t need permission to take off from school. They have to be the most irresponsible lot I have ever seen.” I slid my hands along his shoulders as he sat at his desk and kissed his cheek, making him relax instantly before lifting his hand to touch mine.

“Let them have their win, it’s not every day one captures a criminal.”

“Yes I know.”

“I have already packed your suitcase and compressed your documents into a zip folder, I know you will fail to suppress the urge to work while we’re there so you will be able to use my laptop. I know Mr. Pride is all about his pen and paper, but you will find this to be much more helpful.” I handed him the drive and he took it with a confused look in his eye.

“And how am I to place my signature on any of them with a computer?” I opened my laptop and showed him the procedure with a stylus and he nodded respectively.

“Very nice, I shall use this, thank you.”

“You really shouldn’t be working anyway, I mean Diavolo has been invited to the party as well and he certainly isn’t going to make you.”

“Well he will not be away from the Devildom for an entire week, and someone has to clear up all the red tape of this incident and then there is next year’s round of transfers and exchange students.”

“Speaking of which I finished the end of year assessments for the transfers and they have done well.”

“We did tell you that since they were transferring you didn’t have to hold their hands the entire year. And once you whipped them into shape they excelled on their own.”

“Thankfully, I wouldn’t know what to if I had to watch over them the whole year with all of this going on.” Just thinking about the first couple of months of this year made my head spin but luckily it was over and we can make the best of our lives…at least most of us can anyway.

“We will be leaving tonight as soon as everyone is ready, Kio just got back from RAD and he should be packing.”

“How is he doing?”

“He’s so brokenhearted, but as usual he’s hiding it when he has to. He’s being stubborn about it, I wish I could help him.”

“There is nothing to do about it, it is a matter between them, if they choose to stay away from each other, then their choices need to be respected Tèa.”

“I know, I know that now…but it still hurts.” The first night I was up in the attic with him all day as he cried. I gave him whatever advice I had while I petted his head in my lap but I was there that night, I watched him die inside as Satan seemed to slip away. There was no way he can just pretend those feelings no longer existed, it was like trying to force a bird to lose the desire to fly.

“I know, my brother is stubborn, but this is a matter they need to figure out on their own, trying to talk to either of them right now during such a sensitive time is ill-mannered and very tactless.”

K

“Kio seriously ya gotta get out of this funk and jus go talk to him already!” Apparently Mammon had decided to hold a band meeting slash intervention in my room as I packed my things. For the most part I was able to hide the fact that what had happened had burned my heart to ashes. Sae seemed to go about life like nothing bothered him at all, he would just read in his room as always, we didn’t even give each other a passing glance anymore. I thought that way of life was working until Levi, Belphie and Mammon stormed in with determined looks on their faces.

“I’m fine Mammon, really, this is not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal? Look, we are really good friends, I mean we don’t have what you and Satan did but you can agree that we are close right?”

“Yeah Belphie, I know we are, I guess I can say your my new best bud.”

“So as that best friend I have the right to say that you look like absolute shit.”

“Well it’s a step up from death warmed over I guess…”

“You hide away bein’ all depressed nowadays and if I ain’t watchin’ ya like a hawk you won’t even eat! We are ‘sposed to be playin’ at ya parent’s place tomorrow and the practices have been hell! You don’t correct him when he misses a note or his off count and we sound horrible cuz no one is communicatin’!”

“You two have never been more out of sync and the rest of the band is suffering. As your media manager slash producer I cannot guarantee the fandom will like when I stream tomorrow’s performance at this rate.”

“Look I don’t know what it is you want me to do, the simple fact is that we don’t want anything to do with each other if we don’t have to and there is no changing that.” I knew what they were saying, I knew the band was suffering because of this agreement between me and Sae, but he was over me and I couldn’t be in the same room with him without feeling like hell. There was no getting around it, we were done.

“Look you know I tell it like it is; you’re being stupid. You love him, we all know it, it’s not big news! If you want to be with him speak up already! We already know how he feels about you because he almost died to protect you! The fact that both of you are acting this way is stupid just clear the air already!”

“Belphie’s harsh but he has a point, I mean I don’t understand all this normie stuff but I have seen enough anime about mutual pining and it never ends well if no one speaks up.”

“And so what if you’re Bi, it’s not even a thing in Devildom; we jus love whoever we form a bond with! Ya lettin’ the human part of ya brain jumble all ya thoughts and make things complicated! If ya parent’s don’t like it then they got us to deal with!”

“We’re your friends and band mates, if anyone comes at you, they have us to deal with!”

“Guys I love this, I do, and the fact that you all support me means everything to me…” I thought about our last conversation, and I thought of the way he looked at me when I tried to touch him…like I was a pest…

“But?”

“He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me, he doesn’t even remember what happened that night.”

“Then make him remember, jus cuz he doesn’t remember don’t mean the feelin’s ain’t there!”

“He has been trying to figure out what he did that night all week but you told us not to say anything!” 

“And I want it to stay that way, if he is happy with this then I don’t want to confuse things!” Even if I did want to tell him everything it didn’t mean he would choose to be with me and even still I had to worry about my family and how they would react. It wasn’t just my mother and father, it was my uncle and both grandmothers too and their friends, would my family be ashamed to talk about me to their friends? Even if I spilled my guts to him and he did decide to listen, it would only make things worse with my hesitation still.

“Look point blank there is a serious problem between the two of you and within this band and it needs to be solved!”

“What problem is that?” My heart stopped to see Sae standing in my doorway, I would have run then and there if he weren’t blocking the only exit. The others froze and looked to me but I only watched him as he walked into my room his eyes scanning me briefly as though for permission.

“I see you are holding a band meeting, and without me, so I can only assume the problem is me correct? What is going on that you can’t discuss it with me?” I only stared at him as my heart pounded fiercely, he’s so gorgeous… 

“Well?”

“Kio tell him!” Belphie would be the one to put me on the spot and Sae crossed his arms looking irritated. Having him pay me no mind was torture but I couldn’t bear to have him angry with me!

“Tell me what, what is it I have done?! What are you whispering about behind my back?!”

“I…I just…instead of our opening song, I wanted to play a song I wrote for my mother and father. I wasn’t sure if you would agree to that.” He softened a bit but sucked his teeth in irritation.

“They’re your parents, it’s their anniversary, why would I object to that? That seems like a childish thing to fret about.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just nervous about it.” He stared at me, I know him…he’s smarter than that.

“That isn’t it, what were all of you really talking about?”

“Kio just talk to him!”

“BELPHIE SHUT THE HELL UP!!”

“Don’t yell at my brother like that!!”

“It’s nothing, it’s no big deal so there is nothing to talk about!”

“It must be if you’re going to raise your voice about it!” Great now we were yelling at each other, why…why did they have to do this to me?! He stared at me hatefully and I felt myself cower under the heartache and embarrassment. I couldn’t say it…the odds were too far against me.

“Whatever, if it’s like that then maybe I don’t want to sing for this stupid band anymore anyway!!” He turned to leave us and the last bit of our contact behind forever.

“You can’t just walk out!!”

“Satan stop!”

“Kio’s still in love with you!” They really called me out like that…I didn’t know what hurt worse, the embarrassment of their words or the way he stopped. He stood there with his back to us as he crossed his arms with a sigh and I felt like dying.

“Belphagor…you really need to stay out of things that don’t concern you.”

“Yeah well something needs said, you two have been out of sync and the band is suffering because of it. I mean we are supposed to be working together and every time you two are in a room together the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife!” He was silent for a second and sighed again.

“You three get out.” They left abruptly and I began to feel a panic attack come on as they shut us alone in my room. The last time we were in this room together…I told him I loved him for the first time.

“Sae…I-“

“Kio what are you doing? Isn’t this what we agreed on, didn’t we agree to be civil towards each other? Didn’t we agree that having anything to do with each other only causes problems?”

“Yes…I did…”

“But Belphie is right, I noticed it too, we aren’t in sync anymore. Am I a problem to you? Should I leave the band if my presence is causing you trouble?” You aren’t a problem…you are far from a problem.

“No, you don’t need to leave, it’s not a problem.” He wouldn’t turn to look at me, why won’t you let me see your eyes? What would I find in them?

“Well something needs done, if we are going to work together then we have to communicate with each other. Just because we have cut ties…we are still band mates. And if there is a problem speak to me about it.”

“Yeah…sure.” I was terrified to say too many words…I was terrified that I would say something dangerous.

“Some band leader, how is it I’m the one doing all of the talking? What happened to you?” A part of me died Sae, plain and simple.

“What, you don’t like the strong silent type? I thought that every group had one.” He let out a soft chuckle that sounded like music to me.

“Smartass…” The silent seconds between us were painful and he finally turned to look at me his eyes empty and sad.

“Was Belphie right; are you still in love with me Kio?” You would really ask me that question?!! I can’t take this…I was going to break.

“Yeah…I am.” His face showed no emotion and his eyes didn’t betray anything which made the sting of it much worse.

“We agreed that this was better for us, you agreed to this because you didn’t want to love me openly did you not?”

“Yes. I agreed to it, but Sae…what do you feel?” And I felt it…the utter confliction and sadness that had flashed in his eyes ebbed from him like a thick smoke.

“What I feel doesn’t matter, we made an agreement and I plan to stand by it.” And there it was, a statement that would have crushed me if I didn’t feel that sadness in his heart.

“Sae-“

“If your own feelings ever become a problem just let me know, I will leave the band and we won’t have to speak again. I would rather never say another word to you again than be angry with you like before…” He walked to the door at that and turned one last time.

“But while I am still a part of it, if you have other issues, be man enough to speak to me instead of my brothers.” He left at that and I bent over unable to breathe, why did Belphie open his damned mouth?! I was just getting to be able to function again…

L

“AHHH!! My babies are home!! Come here, Tèa honey you look amazing! Aw boys look at you, I’ve missed you so much!” Elie kissed everyone as they came through the door with a big cheery smile. Tèa had warned us all ahead of time that she never told her parents of Kio’s running away and to keep all related issues under wraps. I obliged since being that I was at fault for most of the offenses related. Mammon gave her a kiss on her cheek and Beel lifted her into a big hug that made her laugh. They seemed at home right off the bat, this house felt very warm and welcoming from the first moment I stepped foot here.

“Lucifer, you’re not dead after all!” Well, the moment after I met the little sister anyway. Laika instantly lost interest in me and leapt into Kiomè’s arms with a squeal and they laughed, those two never had a problem when it came to bonding.

“Oh my goodness, are you serious?!!” She stepped back and gasped and Elie who was still talking to my brothers turned at her exclamation.

“When did you and Tèa get so close??” I saw as the siblings looked to each other and gave soft smiles as their mother rushed over to put their faces in each hand.

“Really? Have you finally forgiven each other and yourselves? Do my children finally love each other?” She was crying at this point and hugging them both in joy. If only she knew just what they went through to get to this point, I couldn’t help but feel the moment bittersweet because it seemed I hadn’t made the same amount of headway with my own brothers, especially Satan. Now it seemed he was just as distant from me as ever an there was no significant change with the others. But my Beloved set out to do as she needed, and I take solace in that.

“This is amazing, I don’t need anything else for an anniversary gift, this is more than I could ask for!” Shuichi followed Korrin to the foyer upon the commotion wearing a kitchen apron his hair tied back in a ponytail.

“What’s happened? Siera, they need to get in and settle down they’ve traveled a long way.”

“That walk to the house took longer than the trip to the property.”

“Awfully bold of you being that I carried you on my back.”

“You suck at rock paper scissors.”

“Kio and Tèa are finally getting along!” She stepped back from them as he came in to hug his children.

“I hear you have both done well in your studies, I’m proud of you!”

“But Father…” He put a hand in Kiomè’s hair to ruffle it with a smile before he could finish.

“You cannot expect to excel every subject you try at son, nothing worth having ever comes easy. You will do well next time. I see your hair has grown quite a bit, it looks nice.” I had nearly forgotten that when we had started classes he kept it no longer than the bottom of his ears, now it was to his shoulders the soft spikes framing his face and giving him a softer appearance.

“He looks just like he did when he was little!”

“Oh no…”

“Oh yes, it’s so your turn to get the baby photo treatment! I’m sick of looking at my own baby butt!” They began to push everyone to the living room and a hand began to glide along my back, Korrin walked alongside me with a smile and stopped me.

“Come talk to me, there is something we must discuss.” I looked up to see their perceived uncle standing nearby with his arms crossed. Knowing Korrin, this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. 

K

“Come on, sit down!” Lai pushed me to the couch as everyone gathered around, Sae sat next to my mother and I felt yet another sting in my heart. I wonder how she would have felt knowing I care for him, knowing that I wanted to hold him and be in his life together. But I was a coward and because I that I was left to feel like this. But tonight I will carry the same smile I trusted the most and bear it.

“Alright, now this is the time they tried to climb the big oak tree together for the first time and Lai got stuck. And this was when Kio cut a chunk of Tèa’s hair with scissors.”

“Look at that bald spot LOL.”

“Yeah…thankfully it grew back and I wasn’t in school yet.”

“Hey don’t you guys have any pictures from the past?”

“I mean, nothing from being infants but yeah we have a lot of pictures and memories over the years of being in Devildom.”

“Like once Mammon got mangled by a stray cat that had gotten inside. He chased it everywhere and it kept outsmarting him. Although it was a cat so it wasn’t hard.” I could imagine that happening and couldn’t help but laugh.

“You wanna talk about bein’ outsmarted Satan, how ‘bout the time you was out in the middle of the road talkin’ to a bag of trash! You was all ‘here kitty kitty, black cats don’t scare me!’ took ya a whole ten minutes to figure it out!” I lost it then, I laughed myself to tears imagining Sae on his hands and knees trying to call a cat that wasn’t there and I could feel him glaring at me.

“What’s so funny?!”

“I can’t…’Black cats don’t scare me!’ I can’t breathe!” I expected him to say something hateful but when I opened my eyes he was staring at me perplexed…I was laughing, he must be looking at my soul, he said it sparkled when I was happy. But his attention felt worse under the circumstances.

“Aw man that’s nothing, remember the flaming Forget Me Nots?!” My sisters guffawed and I instantly stopped laughing.

“So you know Lai and I can manipulate plants and stuff like our father but poor Kio can’t even take care of them naturally, he has what we call a black thumb. So when Kio was like six Daddy made some paper flowers and arranged them in a pot for him to care for, they were really pretty and meant to boost his confidence.”

“But big brother over here wanted to do his best to take care of them anyway and tried to get them a bunch of sunlight so they would grow bigger like ours do!”

“He used a magnifying glass, they went up in flames in under a minute!! He can’t even keep paper flowers alive!!” My face couldn’t be redder as they all laughed at me but seeing the way Sae tried to breathe made me want to endure my embarrassment. Mom flipped through some more pages and pointed to another photo.

“There he is, he was just a little angel!”

“Oh wow…Kiki what large pretty eyes, you were such a gorgeous child.” I used to hate my old pictures, and I was a little upset she didn’t even ask, she knew how I felt before.

“Yeah what happened?” Thanks for the save guys.

“I’ll have you know that we thought Kio was going to be a girl, I had the prettiest clothes picked out for him too and when he was born we were surprised but I wasn’t upset, I didn’t care what he was, he will always be my beautiful flower.”

“Really mother, does it really not matter what I am?” Why did I let those words slip, why did she have to tell them that story?

J

“Kio…” his eyes were so dark as he stared at the floor, I held his hand as he shook with emotion, I knew exactly what he meant. Would he tell her?

“Baby…what is the matter?”

“Would it really not matter what I was, would you really love me anyway? What choices I made or who I decided to be…you have always loved me the most, but how far does it really go? How much do you really love me Mommy…” He hadn’t called her that since he was a toddler and there was so much pain in it that it broke my heart.

“Of course honey…you’re my heart I would never love you less no matter if you were born a girl, boy or a weird number of legs, you’re beautiful the way you are-“

“That isn’t what I meant and you know it!!” We were frozen as they stared at each other and I saw her about to speak but he shot up from his seat.

“What did you mean, Kio talk to me!”

“Just forget it, I’m going to bed!” He stepped over us and left and my mother looked right to the rest of us.

“What is wrong with him?” I kept my mouth shut, I was not going to betray him, never again. She sighed and followed him out, as we sat in stone silence. I looked to Satan who looked through the photos as though nothing happened and I had it.

“Do you even want to know what happened that night?!” He looked up surprised as I stood and Levi grabbed my hand only for me to pull it back.

“I know you Satan, you aren’t stupid! You don’t black out for fifteen hours and just go business as usual! Do you want to know what happened?!” He looked at me, searching my eyes, he did want to know, was no one else trying to tell him?

“Does…it have to do with him?” What was I doing, if they didn’t say anything it was because Kio wished it. I couldn’t betray his trust again but…

“Search your soul, I think you know what really happened.” I turned to leave them, I couldn’t say anymore, I wanted to run straight to my room when my father leaned into the door as he dusted his hands.

“Hey everyone, dinner is ready!” I suppose I would have to eat in awkward silence, ugh me and my big mouth.

L

“So we hear you are going to marry our Tèa, apparently the announcement is going to be made at the party tomorrow.” Korrin poured yet another serving of sake for me as she leaned back with a polite smile. I left the cup there, I already suspected she was trying to get information from me. Zoie sat on the far side but well within earshot of the conversation. Judging from the way they sat this wasn’t as dire as say being abducted by a rogue and forced to do evil deeds. Even still, three servings of sake were my limit, I wanted a clear mind for tomorrow.

“I hadn’t known there would be an announcement, but yes I had proposed and she had accepted. She leaned back and looked at me with a wider smile, her ebony hair falling from her shoulder.

“But you must have heard her secret, the family secret that we each hold tight?”

“Jetèa has no secrets with me.”

“Oh dear, then you don’t know, I mean she would never speak of the…child.”

“What child?”

“When she was young she loved her dolls, she would dress and primp them to perfection. One day she wanted a child of her own and so when she was seven a neighbor came over to visit with her newborn she couldn’t resist. Those rosy cheeks and tiny hands…the woman allowed her to play with him and then he started to cry. He wouldn’t quiet and she became frustrated and fed him to a large Venus flytrap she keeps as a pet. When the mother found what had happened My Aijou killed the woman to keep her daughter safe and silence the woman. Their bones are what fertilized the rose garden she loves to read in, some say you can hear the child’s laugh on nights of the full moon.” I stared at her as she looked at me with the most serious face I had seen on her and I laughed.

“You should have let me drink a lot more sake if you expected me to believe that for a moment.”

“I’m serious Lucifer, she killed a child.”

“Korrin after you made me believe I drove her to suicide I take most of what you say with a grain of salt.” Zoie laughed as he stood slowly, patting me roughly as he looked to Korrin with a sneer.

“Well I say after that he’s more than ready to join this family, your success really revolves around putting up with her bullshit. I just came to watch her fail miserably as I knew she would, now pay up!” She slipped him a bill with a pout making him laugh harder. So this was just another petty test of my ability to adapt, well of course I would pass.

“Look, for over forty years it has been my job to watch over that woman in there and her children; having them in my life is the only reason I even tolerate that succubus over there. If I had felt you weren’t good enough you wouldn’t have set foot here a second time let alone stay as long as you did.” She glared at him and he only laughed more.

“Why the animosity between you?”

“I may or may not have tricked and then forced him to be a slave to watch over my daughter.”

“I’m sorry I asked.”

“Believe me, she is pretty tame now, she can be a real demon when she means harm. But hey, I have a pretty swell family out of it so it’s whatever.” I sensed there was much more than what he was telling me but I was still very new to this family and didn’t need to pry.

“Now for the real reason why I called you here, what is wrong with my mago? At the party I could sense he was distracted about something but now…”

“And he’s lost a lot of weight, the boy was always lean to begin with but, something’s wrong. You were in charge of him, so what is going on?” Ah, now I understood.

“That is something I cannot discuss with you, that is his business.” They looked at each other and shrugged.

“I didn’t figure you would tell but we had to try, if he’s having teenage problems then I suspect he’ll grow out of it eventually.”

“About that, I was curious of the age rate of the others, we are full blooded demons while Tèa is considered a hybrid, how long should…”

“I didn’t know my own parents long but I know my mother was about two thousand years old before she was killed. From what I saw from Elie she aged like a normal human child until she was about nineteen or twenty and then she slowed greatly, she looks more like Tèa’s sister than mother, I suspect her aging rate would be maybe one year for every fifty or so once they are mature but I cannot be sure.”

“Thank you for that, is there anything else?” They looked at each other and back at me.

“Tomorrow is their anniversary, Shuichi’s family will be there as well.”

“Yes, Diavolo will be by as well.”

“Yes…Shiori is my best friend…but she doesn’t know I am a demon, I will have to paint a gray streak in my hair to play the part but for the most part I will be fine while the dog over there will have to regain his place to eating scraps under the table.” She gave a sly smirk, I take it that was to get back for his last remark.

“No demon forms, I will alert the others, that is already a rule when visiting the human realm anyway you know.”

“Of course, but you see this property is protected we can be ourselves here, unless when there are human visitors, I simply needed to relay the message. You may go, my daughter will be doting on you soon.” I stood to leave with Zoie right behind before turning to his own wing with a nod. I could only imagine how all of these different lives had come together to form such a family, just learning about those two was enough to make me curious. I would learn soon enough once I was a part of it, and then it was possible my nerves would be frayed further with their own shenanigans. But they keep my brothers busy so there was that. As late as it had gotten I decided to just retire to Jetèa’s room when I saw Laika standing outside Kiomè’s room. She put her finger to her lips as I approached and stopped before passing the slightly opened door.

“Baby please, talk to me, I can’t make it better if you don’t talk to me.”

“You can’t make this better Mama…I ruined this for myself.”

“Did you get into trouble, did someone hurt you?”

“No, nothing like that…” A mirror slid to my feet and at first I was incredulous but I used it to peer into the low lit room to see Elie cuddling her son like he were a small child, petting his hair as he silently cried. She couldn’t see how broken he looked but from the way she cried herself I bet she knew, I was told a mother always knows.

“Kio…please…don’t hide your pain from me again.” He trembled as she held him tighter sobbing into the pillow as she began to hum to him, a tune that sounded comforting as well as haunting and he stilled just slightly.

“Are you in love…hmm…I thought so. Emotion like this only comes from deep pain or deep love…in truth they are the same thing.”

“You say that like it’s easy…there is nothing easy about what I am feeling right now.”

“Let me tell you something about love honey, when I was your age I knew I loved your father. He was the only person I trusted more than anything and he was my only real friend. But I kept finding out secrets that lead to a big one I really didn’t like and I questioned whether or not it was wise to stay with him.”

“What made you stay?”

“Your father…is a tortured soul, don’t let him fool you, his past is something we choose not to speak of, it was the reason why Laika’s birth put such a strain on us all. I am more regretful than anyone that it spilled onto you three, it never should have happened.” She sat up and I watched as she brushed his hair back and wiped his face.

“But I sat up on a few nights just like this and I cried as I thought of all the ways I had done things wrong, and I came to a conclusion. I could either pity myself or I could forgive him for something he had done over a decade prior and see where things would go. Over twenty years later I have you three beautiful children and a life I couldn’t ask to be better. I have a big happy family like I always dreamed of and I would have regret never taking that chance while I had it.” 

“But what if he didn’t want you in return or if he did hurt you later or…”

“You never know unless you try. And besides, your mother would have made his life hell, you weren’t the only one always full of rage and I am much more petty.” They chuckled at that, I felt wrong listening to this, I felt wrong for learning firsthand how to be nurturing.

“As for your question, no matter what you do, no matter where you go and no matter who you choose to be I will always love you Kio. You are of my flesh and you are a piece of my heart, you are my joy and I love you so much more than you will ever know.” There was silence and I held my breath.

“Satan…” In just one instant, just one name he told her so much more than so little should ever reveal. She lifted him up and held him in her arms as she kissed his head.

“That makes you no different in my eyes than the day you were born…you will always be my beautiful flower.” I felt such a warmth in my heart and I understood just where it was my Beloved had gotten her heart from, and how it was she was able to change and love my brothers so. I looked to Laika who was crying herself and she wiped her face with a hateful look.

“What are you looking at, just get out of here before they catch you.” She was worried about her big brother, did they feel their mother wouldn’t accept him? Well I suppose the question was answered, I went on to bed without having dinner but I was fuller than I could have ever hoped to be.


	22. A Party to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party is underway and choices are made that will change everyone's lives forever.

Part 4 Chapter 22

J

I had one of the most awkward evenings I could ever have with the brothers, Satan wouldn’t stop grilling me and the others just watched me flounder. I felt so horrible and stupid when I went to bed alone, the only thing I could do to avoid everyone was to focus on the party and make sure it ran smoothly.

“Beel I need you to move that vase of azaleas over to the table with the suckling pig, they are too close to the table with the duck, I need variety here, there cannot be any type of flower twice in a row. He stared at the row of roasted chickens on the current table and couldn’t stop drooling. I was happy that he was able to keep from eating the food thus far as a favor to me, he truly was my best friend.

“Mammon, I need you to set the punch bowl over to the center table with the rose ice sculpture.”

“Aw man I didn’t know we’d be doin’ all this work, what a pain!”

“This is my parents anniversary Mammon, this day symbolizes their union and beginning of our family! If you do not want to help and find it to be such a pain then-”

“Whoa, take it easy! I’ll do it, don’t yell at me!” He picked up the large bowl and began to carry it over to the drink table grumbling under his breath.

“Levi, you need to fix your tie, it’s crooked!”

“Goodness, can you imagine what she will be like when it is her own wedding?” Asmo and Jiji came over in their coordinating rose pink kimonos, they looked gorgeous as they fluttered their fans.

“You two look amazing.”

“Of course, we are the two most beautiful beings around, I bet everyone is jealous.”

“Could you make sure to greet all the guest Jiji, I have to see that the band is getting ready.”

“Child calm yourself, you act as though it is a wedding, we are only celebrating having our family together and this union is what made it happen. In other words, just enjoy yourself and go visit the other family; introduce your fiancé to them.” I had almost forgotten!! Where was Lucifer, I hadn’t seen him since breakfast!

“Good grief is this what I have to look forward to when wait for you down the aisle?” He looked so elegant in his black suit with his fuchsia shirt, his smile truly completed the look for him.

“I just want it to be perfect for them…” he took the clipboard from my hand and held out his arm for me to take.

“And it shall, now let us go and mingle.” I blushed under his gaze, how can he still do this to me? I leaned in and with a wink said the words I had thought I would never hear again from him.

“You blushed, I believe that is a win for me Beloved.” I took his arm and allowed him to lead me away, as Asmo fanned himself faster, let him have his win, he will be the one flustered soon enough meeting everyone else.

“That is our Baba Shiori, I will take you to meet her first, and please, to anyone here Laika is adopted.” She was sitting with my sister who wore a pastel pink princess dress and matching shoes. My Baba was our only living human grandparent and she was beginning to show her advancing age as she tried to stand to greet us.

“Sit Baba, don’t bother getting up; I wanted to introduce you to my fiancé. This is Lucifer.” He didn’t hesitate to take her hand and kiss it like a perfect gentleman making her smile.

“My you have certainly grown Jetèa, I remember when you were but an infant, Shuichi brought you home to me one day so ashamed of himself and assured me that he had every intention on marrying your mother. But I knew those two would be together forever, they were inseparable since they were three years old, so when he brought you to me I wasn’t in the least bit disappointed. I knew I would be sitting right here one day.” She touched my face with a withering hand, she was in her mid-sixties now and the realization that she would be gone from us in a matter of decades hurt.

“And now look, that sweet baby girl is all grown up and going to be married soon herself, would I be blessed enough to see a great grandchild before I leave this world?”

“Baba…you have a very long time to worry about that!” She laughed at me and looked to my fiancé with a smile.

“He certainly is a handsome young man, I cannot wait to attend the wedding.” I hadn’t thought of the actual wedding in a long time, how could all of our friends be there?

“Of course you will, I wouldn’t have it any other way, I shall have a special seat prepared for you with the best view. I would be honored.” He sat beside her and held her hand as he spoke and she seemed enamored with him.

“Korrin told me you were debonair, but I had no idea you were so proper, yes a perfect fit for my proper mago.” He was about to speak but a familiar boastful laugh took our attention. Diavolo and Barbatos stood by the entrance shaking hands with my father as they walked in our direction and when he laid eyes on us he lit up.

“As I was saying this is my mother Shiori, Mother this is Diavolo he is the prince and in charge of the program where Jetèa has been completing her studies.” I moved aside so Diavolo could take her hand completely awestruck, it occurred to me that he may have not actually met an older human before and knowing him he was fascinated.

“My you are a very exquisite creature if I do say so myself, it is an honor to make your acquaintance.” He bowed low to her and she giggled at all the attention.

“My all these handsome men I may have to go to that school myself Shuichi, what country is it again?”

“Why it’s in Dev-“

“Devainia! A small…very small country called Devainia.”

“You wouldn’t know it.”

“It’s under one of the letters on the world map.”

“I’m glad my mother has taken a liking to you Lucifer, what have you been speaking about.”

“Baba Shiori was telling us that sister Tèa is a bastard just like I am Papa, we aren’t so different after all!” Dear Lord Diavolo give me the strength not to choke my little sister in front of our relatives!

“My she is quite precocious isn’t she?” Baba laughed and Daddy issued her a warning glance. I will be happy when this party is over!

K

“Are you going to be alright Kio, I can go and see them all a bit later.” She smoothed my shirt for what seemed like the tenth time and I took her hand in mine. I had watched my father dote on his own mother my entire life and from the very beginning I understood why. This woman was my anchor, she was my everything and I now knew that she loved me unconditionally. Even now she wanted to protect me but this time I had a good reason not to ask for her help, I could only do this on my own.

“No mother, this is your day, I will be fine. I will mingle in a little bit, our first song is in about a half hour so I just want to take this time to breathe. Please tell them I’m not trying to be rude.”

“Of course you aren’t, take all the time you need and if it is too stressful for you remember your grounding. How do I look?” She spun in her white dress with rose pink accent, I never felt more proud of her.

“Like a complete diva, now don’t keep them waiting.” She kissed my cheek and left into the crowd of party guests and I let out the breath I was holding. I actually was feeling terrified and I had no idea if this day would end in tragedy or not! She made me eat a full breakfast this morning and the anxiety was making me really nauseous.

“You alright, you look a bit green?” Belphie jumped down from the stage as I was about to look for the nearest place to hide away. I didn’t want to talk to anyone right now…

“Man I thought I would never get over here, Tèa was tryin’ to work me to death! Steer clear of her today she is nervous!” I bet, this is the kind of thing a control freak worries about.

“Alright guys, the sound check is a-go and everything is hooked up. We are ready to stream in thirty!” That means I had just twenty five minutes to do this. I looked over the crowd and saw Sae by the drink table, he seemed to be deep in thought about something and took this moment to walk over.

“Hey, Levi says that everything is ready and we will be ready in about thirty minutes.” He looked up almost surprised like I had startled him and I took a step back.

“Oh…good, thank you for telling me.” He began to turn like that was the end of the conversation but I reached my shaking hand out and grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey listen…I really need to talk to you.”

“You haven’t had anything to say to me for days, what is going on now?”

“Why do you talk to me like that? Like I’m some pest to you?”

“I am not talking to you in any kind of way Kio, I just have other things to do.”

“You mean other things to do than talk to me! That is what you really meant, just say it!”

“You speak of tones when I really don’t like yours!”

“Because I am trying to have a serious conversation with you and you are trying to blow me off!!”

“We go on in thirty and I have things I want to do until then, get over yourself!” He turned to leave again and I grabbed his wrist and held firm.

“You weren’t doing anything important until I came over here, and suddenly you have to leave? You talk to me like I mean nothing to you, you’re yelling at me like I’m a nuisance to you, be man enough to admit it for what it is!”

“Fine, I don’t want to look at you, I want to talk to you, I don’t want to be near you if I don’t absolutely have to be!! Is that enough of an explanation?!” I let him go and what strength I had faded…

“Oh…well, sorry to ruin things for you…” I turned to walk away, my plan backfired horribly and I didn’t feel I could ever come back from it.

“I can’t.” I stopped at his voice, my feet were so heavy, I just wanted to crawl under a rock.

“I can’t look at you, I can’t talk to you, I can’t be around you…you’re so dark. You’ve been dark ever since that day in the attic and the only time…the only damn time I see the lights…is when you are close to me. Do you know what that means, knowing I make you happy with circumstances like this?! We had an agreement, we would be no more, not friends not anything…and yet…your fucking soul sparkles when I walk into a room with you in it! When you look at me, when I talk to you… I can’t.” I heard him sigh and I turned around to look at him, his eyes looked so pained and I willed myself forward to say what I had intended to.

 _“The little raven lying on the forest floor, was soon to have his last breath and be no more. But as his eyes began to close and his heart was soon to stop, a warm bright light climbed over the mountain top. The sun’s rays cloaked the sad dark bird in the warmth of its unyielding love, and that little raven found his worth in the light that shone above.”_ The drink fell from his hand as he gasped.

“…And he smiled. A single tear fell from his pitch black eye because he knew he was truly loved before he had to die. Kio…I blacked out for fifteen hours…but I have a scar I never had before and how did I remember that poem if I swear I hadn’t read it before? What happened that night?”

“You were under the control of another demon, you were ordered to kill me but sacrificed yourself so that you wouldn’t have to…you nearly died in my arms.” I heard the breath rush from his body as his eyes misted.

“I remember those words and I remember seeing you…but thought it was a dream…why didn’t you tell me? What else happened?” I reached out and touched his shoulder my heart pounding.

“Give me ten minutes okay, give me ten minutes before you make any decisions, can you do that for me? Then I will answer everything.” He crossed his arms and nodded, now for the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

L

“The humans here are so fascinating Lucifer, I have seen them in passing but I never interacted with them in such a way before. There are so many different life levels here…from little children to the wrinkly adults…so odd.” We walked along mingling with this person or that, I was relieved that Diavolo at least remembered to not take his demon form while he was here.

“My lord that is a life stage called elderly, they are nearing the end of their lifespan. We have been going over this the whole way here.” Barbatos presented his usual smile and nod as a woman waved he blended well, and seemed to gain attention.

“Elderly, yes…yes I will remember that! Hello fellow human, I am pleased to meet you as you enter the ending stage of your lifespan!”

“Diavolo no!”

“I can see my Lord will need some more practice.” Tèa chuckled as she held onto my arm, she told me how hard I was to grow up in such a world, needing to play the role of a human and negate the demon inside you. Just in this situation I found it taxing.

“Yes I would appreciate it if you didn’t cause a scene that would make our family look, out of the ordinary. I would hate to bite someone at this party, Siera would shave me again and tie me outside if I did such a thing.” Zoie padded up beside us in his dog form, it was surreal seeing him this way when I had seen him just hours ago on two legs.

“What type of earth is this? Or are you some familiar of theirs? So fascinating!”

“I am a dog yokai…I am merely blending, aside from Laika a bunch of the humans here do not know about demons in the family, I mean yes a lot here do but it is the ones in the dark about us we must conceal from you see.” Korrin approached the group all smiles as some of the older humans complimented her on her beauty at an older age. Her hair was streaked with gray as she said she would do but still looking like the young woman she did just hours ago otherwise, she is concealing her age, we all had to blend in.

“Is that the same dog?”

“How old is he Korrin?”

“He is fed a good diet is all, and lots of love aren’t you boy?” Korrin reached down and scratched his head with a condescending smile.

“Aw, such a sweet little poochie, are you hungry? Here have my crust, go on, eat like a good dog.” Her voice had venom as she took her half eaten sandwich and pushed it toward Zoie’s mouth who glared at her as he ate it like any normal pet would.

“There, he can be such a good dog when he tries.” He moved behind her quickly lifting his leg and soiling the bottom Korrin’s Kimono before walking away with his head high.

“Diavolo we should go get drinks now!”

“Oji!!!”

“What happened?”

“Nothing, he had…an odd look in his face that’s all….” We rushed away biting our tongues in laughter.

“Are you sure you want to join my family Luci?” Tèa’s face was red with a mixture of embarrassment and laughter.

“I have no intention of leaving, if you can handle mine I am sure I can give yours a try.” She was going to speak when feedback from a microphone gathered everyone’s attention.

“Hello everyone, thank you all for coming to such a joyous event, if I may have your attention there are a few things I would like to say before things get started.” Kiomè stood on stage alone with his guitar and his hand seemed to be shaking as he spoke.

“I know a lot of you have said that you hardly recognize me today, and I can understand that. You see, this is who I really am and I have hidden this part of myself for a very long time. I didn’t intend to come up here on this day and speak about myself but there was something my mother had said to me recently. This day represents a union that brought two families and two worlds together. My sisters and I came from that union and the wisdom they have bestowed upon us is the most valuable thing any of us could ever hope for. A piece of that wisdom she bestowed on me last night: each day of your life is a new chance to start over, a new chance to have the happiness you’ve always deserved. But if you wait too late you run out of chances and you leave this world with nothing but regret.”

“Why is Kio up there?”

“He looks terrified.” They weren’t right he was visibly shaking and his voice shook as he spoke. He was usually so collected when he needed to be so I was doubtful that he was making a simple speech. I noticed Barbatos was watching intently and I wondered just what it was the young man was up to.

J

“And…I want to honor my parents by using the wisdom bestowed upon me…and if I could have your permission, Mother… Father?” I looked to my parents who were previously chatting with our grandmothers and I wondered just what was my little brother planning.

“It’s fine son.”

“Go ahead Kio.” He let out a shaky sigh and pulled the guitar strap over his head.

“I was once given the task of writing a letter to my younger self, I was to search myself and make peace with what was there. I wrote a song instead.” He began to play a calming tune and I watched on as he began to sing.

“ _You sit alone in the dark, your face bloody and your soul bruised, you cling to your lantern of hope though your heart had been overused. I know that you are hurting and you feel you came out wrong, because your hearts so broken I have written you this song_.” I looked to everyone who listened to his beautiful voice as it intertwined with the notes of the acoustic guitar. They were moved as was I.

“ _You are not perfection but you are certainly not a mistake, your heart is forever gentle and your kindness is never fake. It has taken so long to realize how beautiful you are, and I am thankful that I saw your light before I had taken things too far. It is okay for you to cry and say you aren’t okay, it’s okay for you to be angry and want to run away. But now I will be here beside you and you can cry with me, because little one I want to love you as the other side of me_.” I looked over to the brothers who were surprised and in awe at his song and I assumed they didn’t know he would be doing this either. This was so deep and personal, I suppose he had done much more soul searching than I imagined.

“ _Don’t be afraid because we are now together and together we will always stand, and if you want to tell the boy you love him then I will hold your hand. We will say together ‘Darling please give me one more chance’ and we will work together to make it a beautiful romance_.”

“Holy hell!!”

“Kio just came out!” I heard my sister squeal and jump in her seat and my eyes drifted to Satan who stood on the other end of the table. He stood there staring towards the stage and my heart stopped in anticipation.

K

This was the scariest moment of my life, what if they mob me, what if father beats me for saying such things at their celebration?! She wouldn’t tell me what he would feel, and here I was putting the truth in everyone’s ears not knowing what would happen once I sang the last verse. I had my eyes closed most of the time but I took just a second to look toward the table where Sae had been and he was gone. Maybe this was a bad idea after all, maybe it truly was over between us. Well at least everyone knew the truth…

“ _Maybe it is too late for us to rekindle that amazing flame, but if we had the chance to do so, we can try it all the same. The sky will still have clouds and the flames could burn us bad, but father said nothing in life worth having comes easily to our hands. As Mama said we only have so many given todays, and I don’t want to carry the regret of never loving you so please…stay…”_ I ended the song and everyone looked at me in silence and my heart was about to give out. I couldn’t take them all staring at me like this, I was going to have a panic attack and it was not going to be good.

I suddenly felt arms around my waist and I thought my mother was coming to take me off the stage until I saw the green nails. My heart stopped altogether as I felt his forehead on my shoulder as he tightened his arms around me. I reached up to pet his hair and I heard applause and shouts of joy.

“You asked me that first day if I wanted to be alone…I know we made an agreement, but I don’t want to be alone anymore Sae and now I don’t care who knows it…I don’t want to miss this chance.” He trembled and hugged me tight but said nothing so I turned off the microphone and turned to sing in his ear.

“I met you in the dark, you lit me up, you made me feel as though I was enough. We danced the night away, we drank too much and I pulled your hair back when you were throwing up. And you smiled over your shoulder and for a second I was stone cold sober, I pulled you closer to my chest…I knew I loved you then, but you would never know, I played it cool when I was scared of letting go. I know I needed you but I never showed, I want to stay with you until we’re gray and old, just say you won’t let go…” He lifted his head and I saw the tears in his eyes before he repeatedly kissed my cheek, only letting me go to let me turn and taste his mouth.

“Dammit Kio…” He was at a loss for words and blushing. I took his hand and lead him off the stage to a more secluded area and I caressed his face like I had wanted to a week ago.

“You didn’t know who I was when you were under that demons control, but you said that I made you feel things anyway. You said-“

“That you were beautiful and I wanted to keep your light shining…I thought it was a dream, a dark and hazy dream. Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“You didn’t remember, and you seemed okay with what we agreed on, I didn’t want to make things worse.” He kissed me softly and I felt myself climb to cloud nine.

“How can you be so smart and so stupid at the same time?” I stared into the raging fire inside him and I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Will you…be my boyfriend?” He stammered and I brushed his hair back making him blush again.

“I wanted to be the one to ask.”

“Oh I’m sorry, do you want to break up so you can give it a shot?” I hadn’t been so happy to hear his laugh.

“You fucking smartass…yes, I would love to be your partner.” He was mine…finally he was where I wanted him to be.

J

We ran up to them as soon as we found them and I threw my arms around my brother I had never been so proud of him than in this moment and he was finally happy I couldn’t help but cry!

“Baby brother…” I held him tight around his waist as Satan gave us some space laughing at my brother’s embarrassment.

“Yeah, okay you can get off me now.”

“Ani-chan…” Lai had her arms around him from the other side within seconds, we were both squealing crying messes.

“He’s so happy…”

“They are so cute together…”

“Ew gross, would you both get off, your noses are running!” We let him go and I hugged Satan close, I knew after what I had seen that he was more than capable of making my brother happy. He would give his life for him, he loved him and that was what my brother needed to be free.

“Kio baby,” Mother came over her eyes teary as she looked to the pair of them and hugged herself.

“Does he make you happy?” Kio took Satan’s hand and smiled at our mother without shame.

“Yes Mother, he does.” She didn’t seem angry or upset at all and I sighed in relief. She was about to say something when our stormed over making Kio step back in fear.

“Kiomè what have you done?!”

“Shuichi wait-” he pushed mother aside as he went straight for Kio who put his hands up, eyes wide with terror.

“Daddy…I’m sorry, I know I disappointed you but-“ He grabbed Kio by his jacket and pulled him toward him, grabbing him by the back of the neck with his other hand and kissed him on his forehead before hugging him tightly. He trembled fearfully in Daddy’s arms, still expecting him to be angry or violent with him but that didn’t happen.

“Dammit Kiomè, how many times must I tell you that I love you! _You are my son_ , I held you when you were only seconds old and since then there isn’t a single thing you have done to _ever_ disappoint me! You worry so much about everyone’s perception of you that you destroy yourself! Why are you shaking, why did you think I would hurt you?! You just went up there in front of our family and friends and for the first time in your life you focused on your own happiness and I have never been more proud!”

“How…I hurt you… how can you love me…?” Daddy began to cry at the mention of the memory that split them apart. He leaned back and held Kio’s face in his hands to make sure he was listening.

“The only time you ever hurt me was when you didn’t trust me enough to help you when you needed me! You never should have to feel like you can’t trust me, I’m your father!” Kio let out a pained wail and buried his face in Daddy’s neck as he cried. I couldn’t stop my own tears at seeing those two finally show their love for each other and looking over I saw Mother and Lai crying as well. Daddy let Kio go and turned to Satan before putting a kind hand on his shoulder before whispering to him.

“Mama you acted like Daddy was mad!”

“I…thought he was, Shiori was a little bit displeased at what she heard.”

“She simply doesn’t understand; there are aspects of my own life she will never know or understand and I have made peace with that many years ago. She doesn’t have to understand or accept, he is my son not hers.” If I had known things would come together this way, I wouldn’t have stressed the way I did all year. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, I was in the midst of planning my own wedding and our family was becoming stronger, we had our quirks but we were definitely closer and I wouldn’t trade it or my decision to attend RAD for anything in the world.

S

We spent the rest of the day with me being carted to one relative or another to be introduced and for the most part I was accepted but some of the human guests weren’t trying to have anything to do with Kio. He told me that they were just cousins or friends of family and that it didn’t matter but I know him, it bothered him to not be accepted but I could see that he did enjoy my attention more. After all of the guests left everyone retired in the kitchen to talk. I sat down in the living room to pull out the photo album and began to look at the childhood photos and found the one I was looking at last night. He must have been very young, maybe five and he was holding a small rabbit in his hands with a gapped smile on his face.

“Oh geez not that one!” He sat on the arm of the chair as he looked over me, his face was so flustered and cute. He seems to only get this way when I’m involved in his embarrassment and I found enjoyment in that.

“You look so happy here, it’s so cute…I was wondering just how much you could have been sparkling at this moment.” It was also the fact that he was in fact a very beautiful child, I wouldn’t have guessed he looked this delicate when I met him but after learning what kind of heart he had and how gentle he was I was in awe of the tiny child I saw here. I looked up to those pretty hazel eyes and back to the photo in my lap.

“What is it?”

“You have a beauty mark by your left eye here, why haven’t I seen it?”

“Well I…don’t like it, so I cover it up.”

“You’ve been using makeup all of this time?” He flushed and looked away from me, damn he’s adorable.

“It’s just the one spot…” I tucked his hair behind his ear and licked my thumb and rubbed the area to see the small black mole just above his cheekbone. I knew he could be cute but this mark made it stand out more.

“You look adorable, I can’t believe you hid this from me.”

“First of all, you’re the pretty one and I didn’t hide it from you on purpose.” I pulled him into my lap and kissed his neck as I wrapped my arms around him. I hadn’t felt him against me in what felt like forever even if it was moments, I never wanted to let him go again. I listened as everyone laughed and yelled in the kitchen and I slipped my hand under his shirt and felt along his stomach making him sigh from my touch. I kissed and nibbled his neck again and he began to fidget so I released him and he stood quickly.

“Are you alright?” There was that face again…he was so flustered and timid I didn’t know what to do. How is it I had gone from so sad and angry this morning to feeling like this now? Knowing he was mine, that he was willing to love me meant so much, I was so grateful for the chance to share my life with him, already he’s put light into my heart.

K

“I…yeah, I’m okay…” the way he put his arms around me made me so weak, did he understand just how much I wanted him to hold me? He went on about me, but he was the one that was drop dead gorgeous, a beautiful blonde that can fluster the hell out of me.

“I told you about that face Kio, now I don’t want to stop.” The way he looked at me like I was the only person alive, it struck my heart. He leaned forward to put his arms around me again and I held his head as he nuzzled me.

“What made you do it today?” I hadn’t expected him to ask me that, he looked up at me with a bit of sadness and I kissed his forehead.

“Mother had mentioned something to me, the year was almost over, and I had to make the choice of transferring next year…or staying here. If I didn’t do it today I was afraid I wouldn’t tell anyone…and I didn’t want to miss my chance.”

“I see.” He stood and took my hand as he led me to the kitchen, everyone was still laughing and having drinks as they ate the leftovers from the party, surprisingly there was so much food that even Beel managed to save some for later.

“Everyone is so excited to see the upcoming wedding, and they loved meeting Lucifer.”

“Well of course they were, Mr. Pride here can charm any poor woman with that smile!” I see, they were beginning to drink, even Lucifer was laughing and carrying on like the rest of the brothers. I hadn’t seen my father for a couple of hours, I figured he went with Baba to escort her home which meant Mother was about to get wild.

“Lucifer, you have to have a drink with me, if you are going to give me great grandchildren I need to know you can hold your sake!” Jiji pulled out the large bottle with a fiendish grin and it seems he was taking the bait.

“You know we have to initiate you properly! And next we can haze ole Satan here!” Laika use the commotion to pour herself a cup of alcohol which mother quickly took before she could sip it.

“Oh yeah, congrats guys!”

“Took ya long enough!”

“To another brother!” they cheered happily but I still felt so anxious and his hand on my waist didn’t help.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You need to eat something.” The last thing I wanted to do was eat, I watched everyone and the realization hit me that I let myself out, all of me and nothing happened. I’m surrounded by friends and family and I am starting to feel okay in my own skin. So this is what it felt like, this is what not needing to be perfect felt like…I like this a lot.

“I’m not too hungry…” But I was still anxious but not for the usual reasons. I leaned over and kissed the spot right behind Sae’s ear making him grip my hand.

"H-Hey, stop that. Ugh, you really are something else.” He looked at me hungrily and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“After we eat, I want to spend some time with you. Are you free after this?” I felt the butterflies intensify and I smiled.

“For the first time, I am totally free.” Yes, I was free, and I was happy; this was more than I could ever ask for.


	23. Epilogue

Epilogue

L

“I cannot believe of all the juvenile acts anyone could have the audacity to convey, I would be subjected to something like this!!” I scrubbed under the scalding hot water as hard as I could but there was no use, my skin was skill stained a dark blue from the prank played by the little sister.

“Well I told you she would do something like this sooner or later, I suppose you could consider it an honor, she now considers you family.” Tèa held a towel out for me to use, she had made peace with her newfound complexion over an hour ago.

“And besides my mother was right, if I hadn’t gotten so inebriated I would have noticed that the sheets were dark blue instead of green. My head still hurts from that night.” I did as well, I cannot believe I let myself get so out of control.

“I do believe that makes me the osama! Now let’s see, what dare do I implement on my subjects this round?” Korrin tapped her chin with her forefinger as she contemplated, her face getting flush from the alcohol and her blue eyes having a slight glaze to them. She had pulled us all into a drinking game where each of us drew chopsticks with a number but one was designated to give the drawer the authority to dare any of the numbers in any way they wanted.

“No fair Jiji how are you king twice in a row?”

“Yeah, ya gotta be cheatin’ or somethin’!”

“I assure you both, that I simply got lucky, but for the two numbers I choose they surely won’t be.”

“Ohh, Kori, you wicked thing. What do you have planned?” We were all sitting around the living room playing and playing music. I wasn’t used to doing such a thing with my brothers, it had been quite some time since we sat around an played games.

“Mama, whatever it is you plan, please remember that you had better tone it down.”

“Jiji, tell Mama to let me play!” Laika circled the couch sulking and stamping her foot.

“You are a child, you will not be drinking or anything of the sort am I clear?” Elie was just as rambunctious as the rest of them but she had lines that were not to be crossed, she was not going to let her fifteen year old drinking even if it was under her roof. She huffed and went upstairs and I thought at the time it was harmless. My Beloved sat beside me already swaying after only three servings and she wouldn’t stop giggling.

“Oh I know, I want seven and five to run out to the lake and back.”

“What? That ain’t nuttin’!”

“Thank goodness, I thought it would be difficult.” Mammon and Levi sighed in relief and they were met with Laughter.

“Oh no, first you have to be blindfolded, then you are to grab the flamingo flotation and bring it back without damaging it in under ten minutes.”

“Whaa??”

“That’s a twenty minute walk, you want us to run through the woods at night blindfolded?!”

“While stark naked as well.” she smiled and they let out serious groans.”

“It is either that or you take two drinks, that is the game.”

“Screw that, I’m drinking.” Levi took back the Sake as Mammon stood.

“Nah, I got this, I ain’t gonna look like a chicken!” Korrin handed him the blindfold and he began to disrobe.

“Hey!”

“Aw geez can we be blindfolded too?!”

“Mama…”

“Fine, he can keep his underwear…killjoy.” Mammon stumbled out the door as the clock was started and the chopsticks were placed back in the cup and shaken.

“Alright, everyone pick a chopstick.” We all pulled and I looked to mine, it was a four.

“Yes, my turn!” Belphie laughed looking around to see everyone’s faces.

“I have a good one, I want four and two to put on a dress, heels and all and pose for a pretty picture.” I instantly took my sake and drank.

“Whoa now hold on, you can’t just refuse!”

“Of course I can, you either accept the dare or take two drinks, those are the rules.”

“That’s right.”

“Aw come on, I’ll never get a chance like this again!”

“Lucifer must have had like eight cups already!” I chuckled and accepted my drink, I knew my brothers would use this game as a chance to humiliate me, I was simply several steps ahead.

“Aw that isn’t fair, I can’t take anymore…I’ll put on the dress…” Levi stood and made his way down the hall as my cups were refilled.

“Where’s Satan, he missed like three turns now.”

“I think he’s upstairs.”

“Still?!”

“He said Kio seemed sick, you think he’s feeling okay?”

“Oh he’s feeling something.”

“Asmo!”

“Come on, two virile young demons upstairs alone and you think there’s nothing going on? They just started their relationship today didn’t they?”

“This isn’t the time or place for gossip Asmo.”

“We are sitting around playing a drinking game, this is the absolute time to gossip Lucifer!” My brother laughed as the chopsticks were mixed and Levi came back in a yellow a line princess dress.

“Oh now that’s precious, smile!” Belphie took the picture on his device as poor Levi scowled mid sway.

“Come on, time to draw.” This time I was fortunate and I was the Osama, now to choose my victims.

“Ey!! I’m back! I made it, do I still have time?” Mammon removed his blindfold and keeled over out of breath.

“Yeah you made it back with one minute to spare.”

“But the flamingo popped so you have to drink four cups.”

“Dammit!!” He was poured his four cups and he took them back hatefully.

“Pick your numbers and let’s see what Lucifer has for us.” Elie sat back down after handing over the remaining sticks and waited with a smile.

“Alright, number six and three are going to tell their deepest darkest secrets.” Elie nodded and Levi wailed as he took his sake to drink.

“Well then…my deepest darkest secret…”

“I didn’t think you would accept such a condition Elie, I didn’t think I would have chosen you. ”

“If I wasn’t going to play then I wouldn’t have drawn ha. Um…well, when I was seven years old I was left alone, it was just me and Zoie. I was lonely a lot of my life and so full of rage I lashed out at everyone that looked at me wrong. I have killed other demons out of spite because I hated myself. So my darkest secret is that I let my anger and self-hatred hurt others, and part of me enjoyed it.” The room fell quiet and Korrin looked away, she was always so cheery and kind of us, to know her darkness was just as deep gave me more insight to her way of running things.

“Alright, so next round, let’s go!” We stuck the chopsticks back and shook them again, Tèa giggled at her draw.

“Yes! It’s my go, okay so I want…hmm…five and two to make out with each other!” Elie took her drinks and Belphie slammed his head on the table.

“Damn this is not my night!”

“Rose you are a saucy drunk!”

“I’m not drunk, I’m just chill like the rest of you! Yes, I love this song!” She stood and began to dance which made me laugh hysterically as Elie and Korrin stood.

“My mago has reached her limit, we should call it a night for that game, I have something else in mind.”

“I think you’re right, I’m going to check on my son.”

“I’m telling you, Satan is doing all the checking he needs.” Asmo raised his sake in cheers as he called behind her.

“Pfffttt Asmo no ha ha ha ha!!” Tèa bent over screaming with laughter catching my drink to take a sip of it. Laika skipped back into the room with flushed face and a mischievous smile.

“What did you do foxy?” Belphie eyed her, making her sway and smirk.

“Nothing to you…” I had no idea what she meant by that.

“Oi, Kio and Satan still up there?”

“…ha ha oh yeah…” the seven of them erupted in laughter and jeers I was trying to control my fiancé as Mammon began to cut a deck of cards for poker.

“I knew it!”

“I wonder who’s topping?”

“Please, ain’t no question, my man Kio can tame Satan like no other.”

“But we know how pushy and hateful Satan can be, he wouldn’t submit to anyone in a normal situation!”

“All the more reason to make ya wonder.”

“I don’t know man, I saw the way Satan makes Kio blush, he may act like a bad ass but I know he would bottom for Satan point blank.”

“Must you lot have this conversation, it’s distasteful! Tèa no more, put the cup down!”

“Pfftt, we should so go up there! Scare the shit out of them!”

“Noo!! That’s wicked!” Levi tried to stifle his laughter and failed.

“Hahaha!! Now that’s my sister!”

“No thanks, I don’t need Satan’s wrath on me, you guys go be stupid.” Finally a voice of reason.

“Belphie’s right, leave them alone, it took them way too long to be happy together. Don’t ruin things, you wouldn’t want any of us to do it to you.” Beel’s words fizzled that plan out quickly and things were a little quieter.

“For real who wants to put real money in on this?”

“Oh hell yeah, I’ll bet.”

“I’ll put a hundred Grimm on Kio being a bottom.”

“Ok high roller, Levi whaddya say?!”

“Sorry, I’ve seen it too, and Satan has dom vibes. I say bottom, hundred grimm.”

“You guys are ridiculous I say Kio is the top I put three hundred on it! Asmo what ‘bout you?” This was getting despicable, meanwhile Tèa danced around the coffee table picking at everyone’s drink laughing as her sister laughed at her.

“You know, I have to say switch, you see the way he blushes, but I’ve also seen the desire in his eyes. Kio will go both ways, I mean he already does so… I’ll say they both took control at one point, eight hundred grimm.” On that he had smirked and bounded upstairs despite my trying to stop him, my head was so fuzzy but they couldn’t know how inebriated I was as well.

“Yeah, go Asmo, go!!”

“Jetèa Shiorrin!” Elie returned just as her daughter had climbed onto the couch with her fists in the air. Korrin returned as well with a large bottle of what looked like more alcohol.

“Poor thing, she needs to have fun once in a while Aijou or she’ll be a mess like this.”

“Don’t tell me, tell her! Get down!” She continued to bounce and dance as her sister recorded and I felt a little giddy at seeing her.

“I feel awesome, the year is almost over and we all survived!” Oh no…

“Are finals that bad?” Asmo returned with a cheeky smile on his face and the other three conspirators laughed knowingly. I didn’t want to know.

“Come Lucifer, I have a bit of a game I would like to play I think it is for much more…mature demons.” She looked at me with challenging eyes and I wasn’t about to let this trickster make me look weak amongst my family.

“What did you have in mind?” And that was the last thing I remembered, I woke up in my beloveds bed dyed blue and humiliated!

“Even so, I could have gone without the reminder that I was…caught off guard.”

“I had fun over all, so I have no regrets, and also I was thinking we have two ceremonies, one in Devildom and the other here so that all of our families can enjoy.” I dressed and followed her out of the bath

“I am for that, I have no problem with saying my vows twice.” She smiled and I instantly forgot why I was angry before.

“Oh if it isn’t Papa Smurf and his lady Violet Beauregard, how are you doing this afternoon?” Satan however would be there to remind me however.

“Laugh it up Satan, but we won’t be this way long and don’t think we can’t get you for those words.” Tèa pushed him playfully, I was the only one who wasn’t finding enjoyment out of this.

“Come at me all you want, I still have pictures to last a lifetime!”

“You better not!!”

“I’m blue da ba dee da ba daa, da ba dee da ba daa.” Of course Kiomè would rub it in our faces as well, but somehow seeing the smile on his face didn’t make his jest sting as it should have.

“Laugh it up Kio, you forget I know where you sleep too! Besides I already got Lai back.” Before anyone could ask we heard a scream from the downstairs bathroom. Laika came running upstairs stained a bright yellow.

“Aw look, if it isn’t our little ray of sunshine come out to play!” Kiomè laughed without missing a beat and the girls looked to each other and blew some dusty substance in his face turning his skin a dark green.

“Eh, whatever, it’s my favorite color anyway. Hey Sae, you think I can get out of that make up quiz if I come in like this?” He really had loosened up, many months ago he would be locked in his room. I looked to the three siblings as they squabbled and I laughed at them, I laughed like it were the funniest thing in the world and it felt amazing.

“What is your deal, did you finally go insane?” I took my beloveds hand and gathered the pollen from her hand and patted Satan right in the face, leaving a green handprint and I laughed even harder.

“Pffft… now you’ll finally match your outfits!” My brother glared at his partner and began to laugh himself putting his arm around me, things were changing after all and I was glad for it.

K

“And so as it turns out I don’t have to repeat the year, just the course when I return and that has really been the highlight of my week. I have to say I had a lot of highlights these past few weeks.”

“I’m so happy to hear that, and you are alright with your sister currently?”

“Yeah, things are good with my family right now, I mean there are the usual spats but it’s nothing like the past.”

“And how about your relationship, how are you feeling about that?”

“…Amazing…I didn’t know I could wake up and feel so…alive. He is an incredible person no doubt, we argue at times, but those are nothing like before like everything else. I can finally say that I’m happy right now.”

“You know that just because things are good now…”

“Yes, Barb I will continue our sessions, I know I have a lot more wrong in there or else my subconscious wouldn’t be so dark.”

“Very good, now how are you feeling about your sexuality?”

“I…don’t know…I mean… I feel okay privately but I still get really anxious when we are at RAD or when we are out. I try not to show it as best I can, I don’t want Sae to think I’m ashamed of him or anything. A few classmates have asked and we told them but I don’t offer any info. Some photos were leaked on the band site and our fandom has their accusations and shipping theories. But I don’t know if I want to make us public like that. I’m not ready.”

“That’s understandable. I think that is all I need from you today Kiomè, I will be expecting you to call me Monday at five sharp.”

“Yeah, I know, I don’t want to become a unicorn. I’ll call you.” I waved him off with a smile, the school year was finally over and we would be coming back home tomorrow. I had been with Sae for over a month now and it had been the most intense and stimulating month I’ve ever had. My sisters and I have a stronger bond than ever and it shows in our constant pranking wars, which means our uptight older sister had finally loosened up but it also meant I felt free enough to be myself with them. Yeah, things were good, I mean I wasn’t fixed, but I sure as hell felt good. I made it back to the house of Lamentation to hear the band practicing in the music room and I heard the voice of that gorgeous blonde of mine.

“I was amazed by your light, taken so far back, I was hiding, I think you took me by surprise, the way you made me feel inside. It was more than just a moments shared, like something else was in the air, I’ve never felt this way before, not since, ever since you walked through that door. I don’t wanna complicate you, you seem perfect the way you are, ‘scuse me I’m taken by the way you light my fire!” He moved with such ease as he danced along like he really meant those words. I couldn’t help but watch him dance as his voice rang out mesmerized by how sexy he was being.

“Now that is fan service, careful, I might get jealous!” He looked my way and smiled making my heart flutter. He tossed his hair, winking at me with a smile and damn if I didn’t swoon inside.

“Do you like it, I wrote it for you.” He closed the distance putting his hands on my waist and I felt my face redden.

“Told you so!” Belphie coughed making me straighten and clear my throat.

“What does that mean?” The three of them whistled and turned their heads as though they did not hear me. Fine, that’s okay.

“Hey, I want to talk to you a minute.” Sae nodded toward the door and I followed him out, shutting it behind me before he put his mouth over mine. I instantly lifted my hands to pull him closer shuddering as he gripped my waist.

“Dammit, that wasn’t what I came out here for…”

“I mean, I’m not complaining…” He kissed my forehead chuckling.

“Smartass…”

“Rather a smartass than a dumbass.”

“Oh now you find a comeback for that? I was wondering if you thought it was your pet name.”

“How could I not the way you said it, I know you were crushing on me hard.” he bit my lip making me laugh and let me go.

“I’m worried about Princess, do you think she will be alright at your house over the summer? What if she’s afraid of the dog?”

“You mean Oji? He is a demon too you know, and I’m sure he would take offense to you assuming he doesn’t like cats.”

“Okay but still, what if she gets out of the new house and she runs into the woods, there are animals out there!”

“Yeah Sae, there are animals in the woods.”

“I just want her to be alright I-“ I put a finger to his lips and he stopped talking. As though she knew we were talking about her, Princess pranced over, her bell the only warning of her presence. I picked up the now six month old cat and held her up to my face.

“Daddy is being crazy cuz he’s scared you’re going to run off. But you tell him, if you were going to run away you could’ve done so here. Isn’t that right? See? Even she says it’s all good.” He looked at the two of us and his cheeks dusted with pink.

“That is so cute…”

“You’ve been stressed, I get it, but you don’t have to worry! Your man is here to make it all better, I have a present for you.” I sat the cat down and took him by the hand to lead him to Lucifer’s room.

“Why are we here?”

“Well he went off to the house already with Tèa yesterday and I took the time to get things ready.” I picked the lock and opened the door to show him the room and all its glory.

“Oh…shit…Kio you didn’t?!!”

“Hell yeah I did!”

“Pink walls, pink sheets furry purple pillows, unicorn head board, purple accent rug, white chairs covered in glitter, unicorn parchment paper…even all of his pens have pom poms!” He stared in disbelief, if my sister can use her inheritance to make his life easy, I can use mine to cancel it out and make my man smile at the same time.

“Look in his closet.” Sae opened it to see a flood of pink, purple and white and his eyes misted.

“He even has pink pumps…this is amazing… you did all of this for me?”

“Of course, now if you ever feel stressed out or angry, you can imagine Lucifer’s reaction when he comes back here in a few weeks.”

“Yes but he will know it’s us in a heartbeat.”

“Nope, I hid all the receipts, fabric clippings and paint cans under a floorboard in Belphie’s closet, he snitched on me and I haven’t forgotten that.”

“You are devious and petty and malicious and I adore it!” He pulled out his DDD to take pictures, I loved that light in his eyes. He stopped for a moment and looked over to me with a bit of sadness in his eyes, putting the device down as he sighed.

“What is it, I thought you liked it.”

“I love it, but your father was right, he told me that when you truly care about someone you will do whatever possible to make them smile. He said that as long as you did that, I would never have to question your feelings.”

“My…father said that?”

“He knows you better than you thought you did.” He held me and I reveled in the very smell of him, sweet cinnamon mixed with vanilla, leather and dust.

“Apple pie and old books…”

“What is it?”

“Mmm, nothing let’s get out of here, I need help with my clothes.”

“You already packed this morning.” I gave him a look and it was his turn to be flustered.

“What about the others downstairs?”

“I left Mammon in charge when we aren’t there, at the most they will argue until we come back but they won’t bother us.” Sae kissed me passionately, dad was right I wear my heart on my sleeve and I would do anything to make the people I love happy.

“I love you…my sukoshi kirame…”

“Dude…did you just call me your little sparkle?!” He looked embarrassed and I laughed at him as I pulled a box from my pocket.

“You deserve to have this now, that’s so cute!” He opened it gingerly to pull out a bracelet of black beads with gold glitter.

“You…got this for me…”

“Yeah, I mean I know you wanted my soul and all and this is your way of having it physically, or rather it’s the worlds sign that…I belong to you?”

“You are laying it on really thick today Kio!” He rubbed his eyes and coughed to hide his breaking voice. He slipped them on and pulled a box from his own pocket.

“I didn’t do anything special, but well this is sort of something that will say the same…” I opened it to find a green cat eye pendant on a rope necklace, it looked really cool and I put it on right away, looping it around my neck a few times.

“That’s exactly how I thought you would wear it, I have a better idea, let’s go to my room instead.” You didn’t do anything special, are you serious Sae? I couldn’t even imagine where I would be if you never reached out to me, if you weren’t patient with me, if you didn’t love me. Redesigning Lucifer’s room, buying a bracelet is nothing in comparison to the way you saved me from myself. I have so many people to show my gratitude to but you Sae, I will be showing it until there is no breath left in my body.

J

“So we decided on having two ceremonies, I want to wear the black dress with the red roses in Devildom and mother’s dress at home. Do you think we should have that be the theme for both weddings as well?” I sat up in my room with my siblings, Asmo, Mammon and Beel as we looked at all the magazine clippings and plans I had written out.

“Ohh a sexy gothic Devildom wedding would be divine and then a sweet fairy tail wedding at home would be fabulous, but must the dresses be so…full? You’re getting married not going to a ball you should show some skin! That hemline needs to go up at least a foot and a half!”

“He said ‘at least’ wow.”

“No way, as the crow of honor I ain’t lettin’ Tèa go out lookin’ like some cheap floozy.”

“Exactly, I want her to be happy and comfortable, this is her day.”

“Nobody wants to see her legs anyway, now if she wants to complete that ensemble with a bag over her head then okay.”

“I love you too Laika.”

“I mean don’t you think all of this is a little much, the flowers the cake the seating the food? I mean this is nothing more than an expensive fashion show with one model. I mean the bride does all of this fussing and demanding while all the guy has to do is show up.”

“Are you against the ceremony Kio?”

“No Tèa I’m just saying that you are putting too much stress on yourself for something you are supposed to be taking joy in. A wedding is enough work but you want two ceremonies! You acted like a control freak at mom and dad’s anniversary party; how do you think you will be at your own wedding?” He was always insightful, but he had never bothered to really look out for me like that; or rather he was afraid to because he didn’t want to get hurt again. He trusted me now and I wanted to maintain that for the rest of our lives if I could. I couldn’t lose any more time with him.

“You’re right, I suppose I should loosen up some.”

“Take a few drinks, you’ll really loosen up then!”

“Ha for real though, you should let us take care of the planning. I know you so I know what you like. Lucifer is taking care of the budget let me focus on getting it to your standard.”

“Baby brother…you would do that for me?” He looked up from the plans and smiled warmly.

“Sure, and I promise Lai will not have a hand in it.” He smirked at her and she stuck out her bottom lip.

“I see you switched sides on me…traitor.” I saw a flash of pain in my brothers eyes and my heart twisted painfully.

“Lai, don’t take it like that, how about this, you can be my maid of honor. You can keep the other maids in check.”

“Seriously, you have Mammon, Beel, Asmo and Levi. There isn’t a single ‘maiden’ among them…oooh!” The look in her eyes let me know I was in for a real surprise next year.

“Why do I got the feelin’ she’s gonna make us wear dresses?”

“Ohhh, you should so let me help design them!”

“You have a deal Asmo!”

“No, I’m not doing that!!”

“I don’t care, if that’s what you want Tèa.” I smiled at them and shrugged.

“These two are in charge, it’s out of my hands.” The wails and cheers brightened my mood and I felt for the first time in a very long while that we were finally acting like real siblings.

“KIOMÈ MAKU MINAMINO!!!!” We all froze and I saw my brother turn pale.

“Mama went full name…it’s a code red.”

“What did I do, why is she so mad?!”

“Well we know it isn’t because you’re Bi.”

“Oh gee thanks…” He was trembling Lai and I took each of his hands and hugged him close.

“You aren’t going in there alone.”

“We got your back!”

“Yeah us too!” He looked to us and his eyes softened.

“Thanks guys.” We all ventured downstairs to the kitchen together to find my mother and father looking very upset. Satan, Belphie Lucifer and Levi sat at the island, a sheet of paper sitting in the middle of it.

“Yes Mother…?”

“You mind telling me what the hell that is?!” He crept over to look at the paper and sighed.

“It’s my grades…I failed one class, but I told you-“

“Oh no…no, no, no, no, no NO!! You told me that you failed an oral exam that was a major part of your grade, that I understand! What you didn’t tell me Maku is that you were sanctioned for missing FORTY EIGHT DAYS OF SCHOOL!!!” Uh-oh.

“Ohh…”

“Anyone care to explain what happened?!”

“Well it wasn’t all his fault-”

“Beel no!”

“SHUT UP SHIORRIN! You ahead Beel sweetie, tell me what happened.”

“Well you see Kio ran away after a fight he had with Satan, we would have found him sooner if it wasn’t for the investigation.”

“What investigation?”

“Well last year a bunch of demons fell ill and we suspected it to be the work of a witch but really an angel had gone insane and tried to commit demonic genocide. The investigation was because the angels saw something was fishy and they suspected us of corrupting her. But really another demon was pulling the strings because he wanted to get revenge on that same witch we suspected. He had everyone using some kind of mind control and dried to make us kill each other. But we defeated him, and the angels took him to punish.”

“What the hell?!”

“Keep going honey.”

“But we did find him. He and Tèa got into a serious argument and he tried to kill all of us and he almost killed Tèa. Lucifer was mad and he kidnapped Kio and locked him in the attic for two months to keep him separated from everyone.”

“That explains that, what else happened?”

“Well we didn’t know where he was and we were worried of course, but Satan as talking to him in secret and they had a fight and Kio tried to kill himself. Oh but Lucifer saved him though so it’s okay. I mean we figured out where he was when Lucifer had put his DDD in his desk drawer and we tried to call it a while later, Tèa was super mad!”

“Okay, so this demon that did all this bad stuff how long was that going on?”

“Well we didn’t know it was him until he had taken over a few of us and tried to kill us. The witch was on trial the whole time, Lucifer and Tèa observed because they were involved in the occurrence last year.”

“I see.”

“But it’s all solved now, no one else is out to kill us or frame us for corruption or anything like that…” Mama was silent for a minute and she turned to look at Daddy who nodded in approval…we were done for.

“So you mean to tell me, that all year you were in danger and no one told us? My daughter apparently almost died multiple times and my son tried to end his own life and no one called us about any of it?!” She turned on Lucifer with an angry scowl and jabbed a finger in his face.

“And YOU were supposed to be responsible for them!! You were supposed to tell me if anything were to come up with them and you did nothing!!”

“Mama I told him not to, I told him that I would tell you about Kio!”

“AND YET YOU DIDN’T!!! No one told me anything about what was going on with my children, you’re having battles and investigations and trials while your father and I are thinking the worst thing you’re facing is fractions!!”

“Ugh…fractions…”

“You are supposed to be an adult Jetèa, how can you be so careless when it comes to your younger brother?!”

“Kio isn’t that much younger than me, and I don’t see why you are coming down so hard on us when you and Daddy were out there fighting demons and ex spirit detectives when you were younger than us and I didn’t recall hearing either of you bringing home any permission slips to do so!” I forget that at home saying such things would reward me with a slap in the face.

“First of all smart ass until I was seventeen years old I thought my parents were dead, do not come at me with your logic of fairness, those issues were specifically life or death we are not on the same damn level!! I am not talking about me, you are my child not the other way around!”

“Siera calm down.” Daddy’s eyes turned golden and mother stopped yelling instantly Mama can get angry but she would never cross Dad.

“But Shuichi-”

“She does have a point, we have faced worse hardships and the demon world has a different standard. We knew there would be danger when we sent them there, but this is the type of thing they trained for. I believe the fact that they came back in one piece says a lot. However when it comes to my son and his emotional state that is an entirely different matter, I believe I said to alert me if he had gotten worse.”

“Shuichi, Elie I am terribly sorry, you are right, they were my responsibility and I betrayed your trust.”

“No, I believe wholeheartedly that my daughter told you she would take on that responsibility and that she said she did so. That is nothing more than her need to control the situation.”

“Mother Father…please don’t be mad, it was all my fault, I ran off, I lost control of my anger and I hurt people. I stayed up there to account for my actions, my grades and attendance are my fault.”

“Yes that is true Kio, but that is the thing about responsibility others take the fall as well, you know that.” Mama looked over to Lai who sat quietly and her mood spiked again.

“You are usually there with snide comments, yet you’re simply sitting there quiet, did you know?!”

“I…knew about the investigation…” She breathed heavily and we all stood silent.

“You know what, fuck it, you’re grounded; all ten of you are grounded to this house until summer is over!”

“What?!”

“Hold on!”

“Now wait a minute, we’re not your kids ya can’t ground us! I can just go back to Devildom-“ Mama’s eyes flashed a bright blue and Mammon froze in fear.

“Mammon…you go tie yourself to the balcony, right now.” He instantly began to walk to the stairs crying in protest all the way. No one was a match for Mama’s mental manipulation.

“Is anyone else in protest?”

“No ma’am…” we all bowed our heads defeated, the parents have spoken.

“Good, I love you all to death but my children are important to me. This is very lenient considering the fact that you all hid all of this from us.”

“I’m so sorry Elie, I’ve been very bad, will you spank me for misbehaving?”

“Belphie shut the hell up!!” Kio punched the avatar of sloth right in the shoulder causing him to laugh which made my mother chuckle.

“You two…acting like teenagers finally, it feels good to finally ground you for that.” They left and I thought about her words. All our lives we have tried to be the best we could be, stay at the top of the class and be the proper children we thought they wanted. But she is actually happy to ground us…for defying her. Maybe all along they just wanted us to live and make mistakes and find our happiness, maybe they didn’t expect us to have everything figured out. I looked to the others who chuckled lightly and talked, being grounded to the house was seriously light, even if it was for the whole summer and they felt it too.

“Oh and before I forget, you two aren’t sharing rooms with those two anymore.”

“What?”

“But Mother-”

“It wouldn’t be a punishment if I let you bunk with your boyfriends now would it? Satan Lucifer, you two will be sharing a room together downstairs.”

“Oof.”

“Oh dear…”

“Excuse me, can I tie myself to the balcony instead?”

“Nope, I have spoken, you have no one to blame but yourselves.” She smiled as she dusted her hands and I shook my head.

“This seriously sucks!” I touched my brother’s shoulder and I smiled mischievously.

“Mother and father want us to act like teenagers right?”

“I guess so…”

“Well they can’t stay up all night long.” He caught on and smiled as well.

“I’ll keep watch the first half of the night and you watch my back the next?”

“Better yet I have a few new babies that can act as motion detectors; they will alert us when one of them leaves their room.”

“Nee-chan, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful sibling-ship.” Yes Kio, it came very late but this relationship is going to be a very beautiful one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. I will have more shorter continuations to come soon. If you loved my story and the Minamino siblings please check out my Twitter and see the fan art I've done of the gang. Im new at digital art so plz bear with me.😅  
> https://twitter.com/JMinamino?s=09


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